The season is over for Manchester United and the FA Cup provided a sweet end to an otherwise bitter year that most of us would be better off forgetting.
Like us fans, the club will quickly turn their attention to the transfer market as it could be a busy summer ahead at Old Trafford and there is certainly a lot of room for improvement within the squad.
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Eighth place in the Premier League is simply not good enough for a club like Manchester United. We have become something of a laughing stock.
We need to do a major clear-out this summer. I’ve said before that I wouldn’t be disappointed if we got rid of 15 players, but we also desperately need to bring in some quality players.
Here are three signings I think United should make this summer, three signings that would improve us… although I think we need more than those three – we probably need three or four more!
Jean-Clair Todibo – Centre-back – Nice
We know Raphael Varane is leaving, so we need to get a centre-back.
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I like Jarrad Braithwaite, but I like the idea of Todibo from Nice.
Obviously he belongs to INEOS and I think his price is reasonable and he will adapt well to the Premier League.
He is quick and has a lot of skill on the ball, so I think he would be a natural replacement for Varane.
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Michael Olise – Striker – Crystal Palace
I don’t know if Manchester United necessarily needs a right winger, but we certainly need creativity and Michael Olise from Crystal Palace would fit that profile.
He’s a player we’ve been watching for a long time, he has a release clause and United are in desperate need of some creativity on the flanks.
That’s what Manchester United has traditionally been about: wingers who build play, not wingers who shoot, which is what we’ve had to endure for years.
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Ederson – Midfielder – Atalanta
We need a striker, we need another centre-back, we need full-backs, but I would also ask for a midfielder.
I don’t know if we’re still watching him, but I like Ederson from Atalanta.
He played very well in the Europa League final and we have been watching him for some time – Newcastle have too.
I am quite impressed with him and he could be a good replacement for Casemiro, a progressive midfielder.
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Where does United stand at the moment?
I think it makes a big difference whether we finish eighth this season or last year. That’s probably where I’d put Manchester United.
We’re probably third to fifth. Winning titles? Absolutely not. We’ve been a long way from that since Sir Alex Ferguson left, although we’ve finished second a couple of times.
We are still a long way from Arsenal, Man City and Liverpool. That is pure fantasy at the moment.
We are in the gap between third and fifth place and this season has obviously been very disappointing.
I looked at the table and thought, us, Newcastle and Chelsea all had injury crises and yet we were very close to Spurs and only eight points behind Villa in fourth place.
So I think this season is a season we have to write off, certainly in terms of the FA Cup, but in terms of the league it has been awful and there are a lot of reasons for that on and off the pitch.
But in reality the gap between us and Villa and Spurs is not even 15 points. I suspect we will be in that category again next season, unless we have another terrible season with lots of injuries.
Manchester United are currently third or fifth – but a strong summer would help us close that gap.