5 Manchester United players who need to impress in pre-season
Manchester United's 2nd place finish in the Premier League last season meant it was only the 4th time in the post-Ferguson era that the Red Devils managed to finish inside the top four. Quite a frightening prospect for a team that has won the most league titles since its inception in 1992. Nevertheless, Ole Gunnar Solskjær has managed to steady the ship, to an extent. Bruno Fernandes turned out to be an inspiring signing, injecting some much-needed creativity and flair into the otherwise languid squad. Even though United have been on an upward trajectory since their arrival, the last piece of silverware won by them was the Europa League in 2017, under Jose Mourinho.
Players like Paul Pogba and Fred have picked up the slack by putting in some convincing performances from the center of the pitch. Even so, the club always seems to be shrouded in controversy. After four years at the helm, Solskjaer still hasn't entirely convinced the United faithful. The lack of consistency has been touted as the Norwegian manager's biggest shortcoming. However, having recently signed Jadon Sancho for an initial fee of €85m, things are looking relatively better for United.
Manchester United's pre-season fixtures:
United will start their pre-season journey against Wayne Rooney's Derby County on July 18th. After facing their former legend's side, the Red Devils will travel to the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium to face QPR on July 24th. They'll have to battle newly-promoted Brentford on July 28th in their third friendly game. United will then wrap up an all-English pre-season tour after fixtures with Preston and Everton on July 31st and August 7th, respectively.
The Red Devils have assembled a capable enough squad to fit in Solskjær's 4-2-3-1 system. Nevertheless, there is a plethora of players at Old Trafford who have been underwhelming, to say the least. Let's take a look at five such United players who need an above-average pre-season under their belt in order to consolidate their position for the upcoming season:
#5 Alex Telles
Following Ashley Young's departure in 2020, the statement signing of Alex Telles was made to affix the left-back position for the near future. Telles was a highly rated defender during his Porto days and was due for a move to a bigger club. Therefore, his move to United for a minimal fee of €18m was deemed risk-free. Instead, the Portuguese is fresh off of an inspid debut season in England. Apparently, his arrival gave Luke Shaw the push he needed to unlock his true potential. The English youngster was down-right sensational last season.
In a counter-attacking side, Shaw managed to provide 7 goal contributions, producing 1.9 key passes per game in the process. This meant that Telles got on the pitch only 24 times for United last season. Even though the 28-year-old versatile defender is known for his offensive output, Shaw's form in the 20/21 season put every debate to rest.
With a potential bid for Kieran Trippier, who can play at left-back if needed, on the horizon, Telles will almost definitely have to settle for another rotational role in the squad. However, Shaw has had his fitness issues, with this season being the first where the England international has managed to muster a string of consistent performances. If Telles can prove his class in pre-season, who knows how things will unfold for him in the long run.
#4 Eric Bailly
Eric Bailly is the perfect example of 'what could have been'. Signed from Villareal as a 22-year-old, Bailly had the potential to become the bedrock of United's defense. Instead, the big Ivorian has spent most of his time in England at the treatment table. His ankle and knee injuries have plagued his United career from the beginning. In his 5 years as a Red Devil, Bailly has only managed to gather a paltry 66 Premier League appearances.
The €35m signing has failed to find his footing at Old Trafford, only playing a bit-part role even when fit. The subsequent arrivals of Victor Lindelöf and Harry Maguire meant that the Ivorian is now the third choice center-back on the red side of Manchester.
After enjoying a sumptuous Euro 2020 campaign, Lindelöf has almost assured his place alongside Maguire. Furthermore, United have been closely monitoring Raphaël Varane's situation at Madrid. If Bailly wants to stick around, he will have to recapture the form from his better days in Spain, which compelled the Reds to fork out over 30 million euros for a relatively unknown defender from Africa. The talented defender has been really unfortunate with injuries but if he is able to perpetuate some kind of form, things might transpire quite differently.