Last season was a mess for Manchester United with frequent reports of dressing room tension, a fractured squad and dismal displays on the field.
Erik ten Hag‘s job included not only having to get desired results on the pitch but also to improve the squad and build up a solid camaraderie among players.
And so far this season, his new recruits have uplifted spirits and led to quite the upturn in form with United lying only three points behind third with a game in hand.
Dalot’s improvement there for all to see
However, the job is far from done as the squad still needs works to be done especially in a couple of key positions.
The need for a striker has been well-documented so far but as pointed out by the Dutchman himself, the need for a right-back is quite pressing.
Erik ten Hag to Sky talking about Dalot: “I have to mention Man Utd need two good full-backs because we have a lot of games to play.”
— Simon Stone (@sistoney67) October 30, 2022
Diogo Dalot remains the only player to have started in all games this season and he needs a deputy so as to protect him from overburdening himself.
“We’re really happy with the development of Diogo but I know every club at the top needs backup and competition. It’s heavy when you have to play every game…,” the manager had said ahead of the Real Sociedad clash.
The full-back who was first-choice under previous manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Aaron Wan-Bissaka does not have the backing of Ten Hag due to his weakness with the ball at his feet.
He has played only four minutes this entire campaign and was close to being sold in the summer only for his departure to be blocked by the United board.
AWB London-bound?
And now, The Sun are reporting that the 24-year-old is likely to head out on loan with former club Crystal Palace open to having him back in London.
“Palace boss Patrick Vieira would take their former defender back but a loan move is the only way he can afford him — and that will take some negotiating.”
The deal will be complicated due to his £80,000-a-week wages and the need to sort out his long-term future as well. United would ideally like to earn decent money having spent £45million for the right-back in the summer of 2019.
Whether Palace can stump up money for a permanent move remains to be seen but any amount earned can then be reinvested into the squad as Ten Hag looks to buy a decent alternative.
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