In Our Absence
Although the summer has seemed to drag its heels, somewhat more than usual, pre-season is now well underway and it won’t be long until the Blades embark upon their journey… IN THE F*CKIN PREM… Sorry, I got a little excited there. 12 years have passed since the club’s last stint in the English top tier and in that time, a lot has changed. We’ve watched transfer values shoot through the roof, we’ve seen Manchester City become a force to be reckoned with and we’ve stared on from a distance as the gap in financial clout from the PL to the EFL widended, amonst other things. Upon our return to the top flight I’ve took a look at our summer recruitment.
Transfers
So far this pre-season United have managed to shatter their transfer record (previously held by John Egan at approx. £4m) three times. The Blades have seemingly shopped smart, continuing the theme of previous seasons in regards to cherry picking players from the league of departure, whilst looking to recruit a couple of proven performers in the division they will be operating within. As I’m sure all clubs possess, the hot heads of S2 became a little fidgety as July crept upon us, some said there was no money to spend, others watched on whilst clubs such as Villa splashed the cash and felt we were already falling behind. However, as previous seasons suggested, the 7th calander month was when the ball began to roll.
Luke Freeman of QPR was the first through the door for a deal reported to be in the region of £5.5m. Holding the title of QPR’s player of the season, the midfielder is thought to be the one who will keep the bounce killer, Mark Duffy on his toes or even on the bench. MD’s role has been vital for the way United play and gaffer Chris Wilder has tried to bring in competition for Duffy in the past, however the Liverpudlian has always managed to fend off his rivals. LF however, appears to raise the bar when it comes to output (compared to previous contestents) having registered 9 goals and 8 assists in 48 in all competitions across the 18/19 campaign. Despite being 6 years younger, Freeman clearly has a battle on his hands with Duffy contributing 6 goals and 7 assists across 38 appearances in all competitions.
The next in the building was none other than former Blade and England captain, Phil Jagielka. Having ammased over 247 appearances for United during his previous spell at the club after breaking through the youth ranks, Jags went on to make 385 appearances for Premier League regular top-halfers, Everton. Although being in the twilight of his playing career at the age of 36, the value of United’s three time player of the year cannot be underestimated. Financially, the transfer outlay on Jagielka minimises the risk of the signing as there was no payment required due to the expiration of his Everton contract. Whilst we may not see Jags become a regular starter, we will see him passing on invaluable knowledge and advice to fellow team mates for the upcoming campaign as after all, the Blades’ squad holds minimal Premier League experience.
Callum Robinson stole the title of the Blades’ record signing after completion his move from Preston North End for a fee believed to be in the region of £7.5m. The Republic of Ireland international operated primarily as a wide-man during the 18/19 campaign for North End yet managed to contribute 12 goals and 3 assists in only 27 appearances. Despite missing a large part of the season, Robinson still managed to clinch Preston’s 18/19 golden boot. United’s tendancy to avoid the use of out and out wingers instead preffering to use wing backs to exploit wider areas (alongside centre backs of course) suggests that the Villa academy graduate will instead occupy a different position. Robinson has been deployed in a central role thus far in pre-season often partnering international teammate, David McGoldrick up front. The fee required to prise Robinson away from PNE suggests that he is intended to be a regular starter for United this coming season. The skill set he holds looks to be one that Blades fans have been pining after for a long time. Although clearly the team that took the club’s status from a League One outfit, to the Premier League in just 3 seasons is not to be sniffed at, Robinson looks to offer something new with a combination of a burst of pace and trickery, something the squad has been lacking and will require for the coming 9/10 months.
Manchester United academy graduate Ravel Morrison became the fourth signing of the summer. The man who Sir Alex Ferguson claimed to be the best he had ever seen, penned a one year deal (possible extension) with the Blades having left Swedish side Ostersund upon the expiry of his contract. Although having seemed to be hindered with off the field issues during his playing career, there is no doubt that Morrison has the raw talent to succeed, the question always seems to have been does he have the attitude/mentality? If there is any man who can iron out the creases of any attitude issues it’s LMA manager of the year, Chris Wilder. Whilst Ravel fits the mould of a signing Wilder has become known to make, the length of the deal immediately makes the case clear, not only does Morrison have a point to prove to himself and an array of Premier League stakeholders, he has a point to prove to the club… that he can be trusted. At the age of 26, Ravel may well know this could be his last opportunity to play within PL, he looks to have successfully intergrated himself within the squad having passed a trial with the club, showing the first signs that he is ready to step up and reach for his potential. If Morrison manages to get back on track this season and live up towards his potential, it may well be the bargain of the summer.
The Blades’ most recent acquisition is Bournemouth striker, Lys Mousset. The Frenchman marks the third time this window that the United have broken their trasnfer record having been said to have cost approximately £10m, a fee I presume includes heavy add ons. Having joined Bournemouth in the summer of 2016, Mousset went on to make 71 appearances for the Cherries, scoring 5 goals in the process. Whilst at first glance, this statistic doesn’t look all too promising, or appear to justify the commanded fee, the vast majority of these apperances have been made from the bench in the latter stages. Whilst Lys didn’t manage to become a regular on the South Coast, the presence of Callum Wilson & Josh King etc. answers a few questions as to why that was the case. What us Blades fans can take encouragement from is the 23 year old’s record which earned him a move to England. Whilst playing for French outfit, Le Havre, the forward managed 14 goals and 3 assists in 35 appearances.
Although that marks all of United’s transfer activity to date, a number of players have been heavily linked and CW himself has said he hopes to break the transfer record another 2 times this window. Without going into too much depth, two names have been touted to be in contention to become the latest record signing, these being Swansea City’s Ollie McBurnie and Brentford’s Neal Maupay. The Blades have apparantley seen a £15m bid knocked back by the Swans for the Scotsman’s services, whilst the Bee’s are thought to have multiple bids for Maupay on the table (despite strong beliefs of the contrary by Bees fans on the S24SU forum) with the player now in the process of selecting his desired location. Although clearly not confirmed, it is popular belief that only one of these targets will now be pursued since the arrival of Lys Mousset. Fan favourite Dean Henderson is another name closely associated with the club, CW himself has stated his confidence on a loan deal to be completed before the season begins. Ben Osborn of Nottingham Forest is on the lips of many Blades discussing transfer rumours, the 24 year old is thought to be a versatile option to add to the squad. The Prince is rumoured to be advocating a big money overseas signing, however this is yet to be seen.
All in all the squad has clearly been strengthened, however how it will perform in the PL remains to be seen. With a huge step up in quality of oppostion, there is no doubt that the season ahead will be tough, however the Blades have proved before that they are capable of stepping up a level above people’s expectations *cough* S6 *cough*.
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