Man United are always at the centre of transfer speculation, but this summer will see more focus than ever on what the club does in the market.
For the first time in over 20 years the maligned Glazers will have no input on the football side of things after Sir Jim Ratcliffe purchased a minority stake in the Red Devils through his petrochemicals company INEOS.
While the British billionaire does not have total ownership of the club, he has been given full control of football operations, and has been putting together a team behind the scenes that they hope will help Man United be successful in the transfer market.
Sir Dave Brailsford, the controversial former chief of cycling’s Team Sky, has been brought on board, while Omar Berrada has been poached from Man City to be the new chief executive. Dan Ashworth waits in the wings to become the new sporting director after being put on gardening leave by Newcastle United.
How the recruitment strategy will work remains to be seen, but decisions around team building are already being made behind the scenes.
There are many areas of the squad that need improvement, but it has been decided that a “new left-back will be signed”, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The transfer expert claims that Man United conduct “internal talks” on the matter before drawing up a “shortlist” of potential signings.
This is despite the fact that the club have two left-backs in the first-team squad at the moment. However, Luke Shaw is injury prone, while Tyrell Malacia has been sidelined with a knee injury since undergoing surgery last summer.
The Dutch defender was expected to return to action in January, but that did not come to pass. Erik ten Hag revealed earlier this month that although he is back in training, the 24-year-old is unlikely to feature again this season.
With Shaw facing a race against time to return before the end of the campaign, Man United could be left without a recognised left-back for the rest of the season.
Sergio Reguilon was on loan from Spurs, but the deal was cut short in January and the Spaniard subsequently joined Brentford on a six-month loan.
