Erik ten Hag to hunt for defensive duo as injuries hit hard on the backline, we look at the confirmed squad list for Manchester United for Premier League 2023/24 season.
Manchester United have had a mixed start to the 2023-24 season. While they won against Wolves and Nottingham Forest, they lost against the top 6 contenders Spurs, who were without their seasoned star striker Harry Kane, who moved to Bayern Munich for new challenges.
The most challenging task for Manchester United management is to offload the fringe players like Harry Maguire, Alvaro Fernandez and Dean Henderson. Maguire has fallen severely out of favour in Ten Hag’s books, and was all set to move to West Ham
However, the deal fell off at the last moment. Similarly, in the case of Dean Henderson, he certainly won’t enjoy being the second fiddle to the new £47.2m signing Andre Onana. Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest both seem to be interested in having Henderson onboard, but currently, Crystal Palace are bit ahead in the race to sign him.
With injury to Luke Shaw, Alvaro Fernandez is the only fit left back in the squad currently. Yet he was on the bench in the last match against Nottingham Forest. It seems he is still too raw to start the game for a club of the stature of Manchester United. We expect his departure from the club in the coming days.
In the remaining few days of the transfer window, Eric ten Hag will look to sign at least a new central defender, a left and a backup goalkeeper. So what squad shall Manchester United would come up with for the 2023-24 season? Well let’s break down the analysis into major categories, goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and forwards.
Goalkeepers
Main Keeper: Andre Onana
Backups: Atlay Bayindir, Tom Heaton,
It’s a no-brainer that Andre Onana will be handling the gloves duties in the Premier League and Champions League. As expected Dean Henderson will be looking for regular game time outside the United set-up. He will look for a move to another PL club like Crystal Palace or Nottingham Forest. As per the reports, 25-year-old Fenerbahce goalkeeper Atlay Bayindir is expected to sign for the Red Devils in the next couple of days. He has kept 44 clean sheets in 145 games for Fenerbahce and should be an ideal backup for Onana.
Defence:
Main Defenders: Diogo Dalot, Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Luke Shaw
Backups: Victor Lindelof, Eric Bailly, Tyrell Malacia, Jonny Evans, Jean-Clair Todibo, Cucurella, Teden Mengi
The most unsettled department of all is the defence. Recent injuries to Luke Shaw and Malacia would not help Erik ten Hag’s cause. He will be looking to sign a centre-back and a left-back for the long season ahead. If rumours are to be believed, then they might sign Jean-Clair Todibo from Nice.
But that is not as simple as a lot will depend on offloading Maguire and Alvaro Fernandez from the Red Devils books. Also, United’s hunt for a left-back is still on. Chelsea’s Cucurella is set to be their number-one choice, but whether Chelsea allow him to move to their direct rivals, is another question.
Midfield :
Main Midfielders: Mason Mount, Bruno Fernandes, Christian Eriksen, Casemiro, Scott McTominay
Backups: Amad Diallo, Facundo Pellistri, Donny Van De Beek, Kobbie Mainoo, Hannibal, Sofyan Amrabat
One department that looks most settled is the midfield. With the addition of Mount in an already experienced midfield will add great dimension to their playmaking. Bruno Fernandes had a great last outing against Forest, and seems to come back in his own skin. Eriksen and Casemiro are seasoned campaigners who can control the pace of the game.
It looks like Manchester United will sign one more midfielder in this transfer window as matches will come thick and fast once the Champions League begins. Currently, Sofyan Amrabat of Florentina is linked strongly with the club but nothing concrete has come up. It will be interesting to see how things turn up in the next couple of days.
Forwards:
Main Forwards: Marcus Rashford, Antony, Rasmus Hojlund & Jadon Sancho,
Backups: Anthony Martial, Shola Shoretire & Alejandro Garnacho,
The former Atlanta striker Rasmus Hojlund grabbed the headlines with £72m signing for the 13-time Premier League winners Manchester United. But suddenly all the attention converted into concern as his back injury delayed his debut for the Red Devils. But good news is that that his debut is not far off as confirmed by the manager.
With Rashford, Antony and Sancho in the line-up, we don’t expect further signings in the attack department in this transfer window. This current batch of players has a lot of potential, but they have to prove their mettle at the highest level. Thankfully, there is no better opportunity than the upcoming season as they are back in the Champions League.
Manchester United’s Predicted Squad for season 2023-24:
Goalkeepers: Andre Onana, Atlay Bayindir & Tom Heaton
Defenders: Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Cucurella, Diogo Dalot, Eric Bailly, Jonny Evans, Jean-Clair Todibo, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, Raphael Varane, Teden Mengi, Tyrell Malacia & Victor Lindelof
Midfielders: Amad Diallo, Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, Donny Van De Beek, Facundo Pellistri, Hannibal, Kobbie Mainoo, Mason Mount, Scott McTominay & Sofyan Amrabat
Forwards: Alejandro Garnacho, Anthony Martial, Antony, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Rasmus Hojlund & Shola Shoretire,
Manager: Erik ten Hag
Thanks for reading! What’s your take on the squad for Manchester United for Premier League 2023-24? Please email your thoughts to footbalyticsofficial@gmail.com
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Akshay is an author at Footbalytics. His love for football started way back in 1998 when Ronaldo (Not Cristiano) was his first football hero, and the list keeps getting longer ever since.
Though Akshay is a Teacher by profession, he firmly believes that there is no better classroom than the Sports field and no better Teacher than Sports.