It’s been a backwards journey so far for Manchester United under Erik ten Hag. A lot was expected of the Dutch manager considering the pedigree he had built at his former club Ajax.
The summer transfer window was a success as United brought in five players permanently and one on loan while Ten Hag set about molding the team in his own image.
United started disastrously, losing the first two games before embarking on a run of strong results that highlighted the hard work the players had put in under the new boss.
Aside from a thrashing in the Manchester Derby and an away defeat to Aston Villa, the Red Devils have been in fine form and are currently fifth in the table, just three points behind fourth with one game to go.
Internal transfer meeting on the cards
However, there are gaps to fill in the team, especially on the right side and in attack. Diogo Dalot has been the right-back position of his own, but the club currently does not have a worthy backup.
While the club’s initial plan was to wait until the summer to address the striker’s issue, the sensational departure of Cristiano Ronaldo means those plans have been put on hold.
Cody Gakpo on a big transfer in January: “I have to be honest, I’m not thinking about it right now. I am focused on the World Cup, I want to continue performing well”, he tells @TheAthleticFC. ???????????? #transfers #MUFC
“Hopefully when we are world champions we can think about other things.” pic.twitter.com/6355HSd9hX
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 3, 2022
Many names like Joao Felix, Memphis Depay and Cody Gakpo have been mentioned as possible solutions, and Gakpo seems like the ideal choice.
The Dutch international has been in brilliant form for both club and country and is his country’s top scorer at the current World Cup in Qatar.
A £50m price tag has been discussed and Real Madrid are also in the running for the highly rated PSV Eindhoven attacker. His compatriot Virgil Van Dijk had recently ruled on what would be the best play for the striker.
According to transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano, the Old Trafford side will very soon have an internal meeting where they will discuss their transfer priorities for the January window.
Gakpo and RB main talking points
“There will be internal discussions about the striker and about Gakpo in the coming days and we’ll see how Man United proceed,” Romano told his Daily Briefing for CaughtOffside.
The club will also discuss how to resolve the future of Aaron Wan-Bissaka. The right-back, an Ole Gunnar Solskjaer regular, is clearly not qualified by the new boss.
His clumsiness with the ball at his feet and his inability to impact the team in advance have been cited as the main reasons why the English defender has managed just four minutes this season.
“It is possible that Wan Bissaka will leave as Man United have been very clear: they want to find a solution for him, although it is still too early to say where he will go,” added Romano.
