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Manchester United need to act. Chelsea winning the Champions League has hammered home the need for the Glazers to spend, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side in danger of being left behind. And the Red Devils’ plan to make four additions would certainly be a good response to this latest setback.
Saturday could have gone worse for Manchester United. It could have been Manchester City lifting the prize instead.
After seeing Liverpool end their agonising wait for the Premier League title last year, it would have certainly been a hammer blow.
United supporters found themselves in the horrible position of egging on Chelsea on Saturday night, with the Blues winning the famous trophy courtesy of Kai Havertz’s first half strike.
And, now, they need to act.
Even if they’d won the Europa League, big-name signings would have been vital. After losing their final to Villarreal on Wednesday night, they’ve never been needed more.
Today, the Daily Mail have revealed United want four additions to close the gap on the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City – whose big spending has seen them rise to the top of the sport.
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And that, certainly, would be a positive start.
United are eyeing Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho, adamant the England international can finally be signed after three previous unsuccessful attempts.
The England international is seen as the perfect player to go alongside the likes of Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes and Edinson Cavani in Solskjaer’s attack.
And it seems as though a deal will be struck this summer, with a move to Old Trafford for the 21-year-old seen as the ‘most realistic’ outcome.
United aren’t ready to stop there, either.
They want a new centre-back to partner Harry Maguire, especially given the struggles of Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly without the England star alongside them.
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Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane and Villarreal’s Pau Torres are both admired behind the scenes, and could possibly be chased down when the transfer window reopens.
Cristiano Ronaldo is in their sights, too, amid uncertainty over the Juventus star’s future.
And the Red Devils would also like to sign a new central midfielder, with Declan Rice ticking many boxes for John Murtough and Darren Fletcher.
If United were to strengthen in those four areas, they’d stand a far better chance of stopping Chelsea and Manchester City from dominating in the years ahead.
But whether the notoriously penny-pinching Glazers go all out to avoid the Red Devils falling further behind the world’s elite is something only time will tell.
Speaking after United’s loss to Villarreal, Solskjaer admitted his side needed strengthening.
“I’ve been delighted with the effort, the desire, the determination of all of the players, I can’t fault them at all,” Solskjaer said.
“We’ve probably done as well as anyone could imagine.
“We are here now, we need to do better, we need to work better, work harder, cleverer. But as I said two or three players to strengthen the starting XI and the squad all together is important for us to go even further.
“Because I’m sure our contenders or challengers will also want to improve and we want to improve as much as we can.”
Solskjaer also insisted United hadn’t had a successful season.
“It’s not a successful season and that’s the fine margin in football,” he said.
“Sometimes one kick can define a season as a good one and a successful one, and one kick says it’s not.
“Improvement, yeah, second in the league, probably no one expected us to be second in the league after the start we had, after the lack of pre-season we had.
“The boys have been really, really good but just came up short tonight, unfortunately. That’s penalties, we could have been sat here saying a successful season after the same game.
“But trophies matter and that’s what matters at this club. No, is the short answer.”
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