Assessing manchester united's 2022/23 squad

Erik Ten Hag's first team squad

With the transfer window shut, now seems the best time to assess the talent within Erik's squad.  This will be arranged by position, with a little overall assessment done afterwards.  Let's get stuck in!

Transfer window ins

Antony (£85.5 million from Ajax)

Casimero (£63.59 million from Real Madrid)

Lisandro Martinez (£51.63 million from Ajax)

Tyrell Malacia (£13.50 million from Feyenoord)

Christian Eriksen (Free after being released by Brentford)

Martin Dubravka (Loan fee £2.08 million from Newcastle)

Transfer window outs

Andreas Pereira (£8.55 million to Fulham)

Tahith Chong (£1 million to Birmingham City)

Released: Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Juan Mata, Lee Grant, Edinson Cavani, Jesse Lingard

Loan: Dean Henderson, Alex Telles, Eric Bailly, Hannibal Mejibri, Amad Diallo, Alvaro Fernandez

Goalkeepers

David De Gea

David truly is the human incarnation of that famous Gattuso quote "sometimes maybe good, sometimes maybe sh**".  It is expected that David's role will change this season with Ten Hag expectign David to be a little bit more intelligent in his distribution and the way he commands his box.  He started off this season with an absolute howler against Brentford, however there has been cause for optimism after a few good performances since that.  Personally, I don't think David is united's long term answer.  He doesn't command himself in the air well enough, he is too awkward on the ball to be a sweeper keeper and he is just simply too error prone.  It is hard to justify David's astronomical wages at the moment, so he certainly has to impress this year otherwise I believe the club will be searching for a new number 1 next summer.

Martin Dubravka (loan)

Romano and the Athletic followed united's pursuit for another goalkeeper across the summer and we ended up with a strange move on loan for Newcastle's number two.  Names thrown around included Strakosha, Bachmann and David Reya, so it seemed United's failed attempts ended up with a slightly bizarre move for the next best option.  I don't know whether Ten Hag tends to rotates his goalkeepers in cup competitions but we all know Dubravka is not a terrible goalkeeper and I'm sure wouldn't look too out of place

Tom Heaton

Obviously not fancied as a number 2 for Ten Hag (hence the Dubravka signing).  Tom seems a sensible third choice goalkeeper with a wealth of experience but he really hasn't played a lot of football at all since leaving Burnley.

Matej Kovar

Unlikely to feature in any matchday squads this season.  The Czech managed 6 games on loan at Burton last season and is likely to be included in the PL2 team.

Assessment - OK

With Henderson out on loan and his situation seemingly up in the air, I am reluctant to be too pessimistic.  David has shown signs of adapting to Ten Hag's expectations but I think we will be in the market for a goalkeeper or two in the summer.  My top picks would be Robert Sanchez for number 1 & David Raya as his competitor should Henderson do the expected and leave permanently in the summer.

Right backs

Diogo Dalot

Preferred by both Ragnick & Ten Hag to Wan-Bissaka, Diogo is starting to impress.  A decent crosser of the ball and comfortable going forwards, he ticks most of the boxes Wan-Bissaka doesn't.  The main worry with Dalot has been his one-on-one defending, but the early signs have been promising for the Portugese full back.  Alongside Varane on the right hand side of the back four, this could really prove to be his make it or break it year.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka

A bizarre yet somewhat predictable situation.  When it comes to one-on-one defending, Aaron is undoubtedly one of the best in the league.  However, he tends to resemble Bambi on ice when he skates forward up the pitch on the ball.  The suggestion has always been that Aaron can be one of the best fullbacks in the world is he can become a potent threat going forwards, however Ten Hag has followed in Ragnick's footsteps by thinking he is going to get more out of Diogo Dalot.  Ultimately, a very good backup but not very well suited to Ten Hag's system.

Brandon Williams

Although often slotting in at left back for united and Norwich last season, I have put Brandon in as a right back.  I must admit, when he first broke into the team under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer I was really excited about the young Englishmen.  However, he has failed to impress Ten Hag and I think Brandon will be one of the first out the door in January.  I would be surprised if Brandon features under Ten Hag at all.

Assessment - up in the air

It was well documented over the summer that Ten Hag was interested in bringing in a right back, but nothing came to fruition.  I think the opportunity is there for Dalot to make that position his own and work his way into Ten Hag's medium-term plans.  Should this not turn out to be the case, I think the club would act quickly and look for a new right back in January.

Left backs

Tyrell Malacia

What an impressive start to the season this young man has had!  Clearly well known and respected by Ten Hag, Malacia appears to be one of United's smartest moves of the summer.  Having hijacked his tranfer to Lyon, Malacia has now cemented his place as the first choice left back next to Lisandro Martinez.  An agressive, quick, strong and tenacious little defender, we might have found a gem here.

Luke Shaw

From hero to zero.  Luke Shaw's improvement from Jose to Ole was incredible and he established himself as one of the premier league's best full backs under the Norwegian.  However, he soon found himself in a spiral of suffering after the Euros with a dip in form seeing Alex Telles preferred to him under Ragnick.  He looked to have been Ten Hag's first choiceat the beginning of the season, but Malacia's form has seen Luke Shaw find himself back on the padded seats rather than the pitch.

Assessment - strong

A really impressive young full back and an England hero of EURO 2021 are not the worst options to have at left back.  Shaw's challenge will be to keep fit and hungry while he was to wait patiently as young Malacia continues to impress.  It is a long season and I am sure both will have a fair amount of opportunities to impress in all competitions throughout this condensed pre-world cup part of the season.

Centre backs

Lisandro Martinez

Ridiculed for both his height and his price tag, Erik Ten Hag's choice is appearing to have paid off with Licha rapidly becoming a fan's favourite.  Manchester United's August player of the month has seen one of the quickest media turnarounds.  Jamie Carragher slated Martinez's ability as a defender, but despite his small stature, the Argentinian's aggressive nature and intelligent positioning has led to him having one of the highest percentage of aerial duels won for premier league defenders.  Obviously it's still very early, but I think Martinez will end up being a massive fan's favourite and one of the first names on the team sheet come the end of this season.

Raphael Varane

I had enormous doubts about Varane after last season.  An injury riddled maiden season in England suggested that Varane was going to be more of fiat 500 rather than the Rolls-Royce defender we thought we had signed.  Pre-season proved no different with Varane often following an individual training programme as he couldn't seem to shake off knocks.  However, his start to the season has been terrific.  Varane is finally flourishing at Old Trafford and seems to be the perfect partner to Licha in every way.  Building on that, he seems to be communicating well with Dalot and I'm sure he will feel even more at home with Casimero screening the rearguard in front of him. The challenge now will be keeping him fit for a prolonged period of time.

Harry Maguire

Abused, hated and laughed at by most... Harry has had it tough over the last couple of years.  Sitting on the bench is a far reflection of Harry's state of mind at the moment, but there is still a decent defender in there.  The £80 million price tag will loom over Harry's time in Manchester, just as it did for Pogba and it seems to really have affected him over the last couple of years.  During United's campaign that was them finish second in the league and reach the Europa league final, Harry was undoubtedly United's player of the season and absolutely indispensable in the back 4.  Maguire has also flourished in the international game, with many standout performances for Gareth Southgate's England during his time at both Leicester and Manchester United.  It's a tough situation, and maybe Harry being used a bit more sparingly will allow him to reach his true ability again under a little bit less pressure.

Victor Lindelof

Lindelof seems to be the perfect modern defender at his feet with tremendous vision and quarterback-like distribution, but I think he simply isn't a good enough defender for the elite level.  One thing is for certain, Lindelof has come on leaps & bounds since he joined the club under Jose, and even found a settled partnership with Maguire for a fairly decent period of time.  However, it seems the end could be near for Lindelof, as I'm sure the Jurrien Timber rumours won't go away come the summer and sadly due to Maguire's price tag, Lindelof would probable be out the door before him based on the club's financial pride alone.

Axel Tuanzebe

One of the strangest situations I can remember for a united player in my life time.  I refuse to accept Tuanzebe is not a good centre back.  With good athleticism, reading of the game, comfortable on the ball and strong in the air, Axel ticks a lot of boxes without being particularly remarkable.  A great loan spell with Villa in the championship got me very excited about Tuanzebe after breaking through under Van Gaal, however he's had his chance and he seems to never impress and keep getting chucked out on loan.  His is a career I will follow closely should he leave Man United as I do think he is a strong centre half, just maybe not a the champions league level.

Teden Mengi

I saw a bit of Teden while I was at uni in Birmingham last year.  The old phrase "competent but unremarkable" came to mind and I think he will either find himself on loan again or in a similar situation to Chong where we take a small fee as he reaches the end of his contract.  Not one I expect to see a great deal of this season and I'm surprised he didn't get a loan move.

Phil Jones

I haven't got a bad word to say about Phil Jones.  So unlucky with injuries, wears his heart on his sleeve and loves the club.  Yes, he may very well have played his last game for United, but I wish Phil all the best in life.  Such a shame.

Assessment - bloated

Too many centre backs and too many of them just aren't good enough.  Licha & Varane a top pairing for this season, and I think Jones, Tuanzebe & Mengi will leave the club in some capacity come the end of this season.  4 decent centre backs is normally the expectation for a good champions league team and we seem to have 2 (Licha & Varane) with Maguire & Lindelof possibly making up 3 & 4 depending on how the rest of the season goes.

Holding Midfield

Christian Eriksen

Seemingly brought in as a bit of competition for Bruno Fernandes in the number 10 slot, Eriksen has cemented his place in united's start of the season side as a deep lying playmaker.  After being awarded sky sports man of the match in the clash against Arsenal, Eriksen was finally being appreciate in his new role by the wider footballing world.  He has looked the best slotting in next to Scott McTominay and I would imagine he would continue to thrive next to a similarly aggressive breakup player in Casimero.  A top signing on a free and I'm sure will be a very useful part of Ten Hag's squad this season as a ball playing holder or a creative number 10.

Scott McTominay

It has been a splendid start from Scott McTominay this season, to the surprise of the highly qualified Manchester united twitter managers.  Scott is used as the breakup player alongside a ball player in the holding two.  I always say McTominay is your first name in the squad, but one of the last on the teamsheet.  A very useful player (as Ten Hag seems to have realised already) and hopefully he can learn a lot from Casimero too.

Casimero

It's a very big fee for a 30 year old holding midfielder, but we needed one.  Casimero is likely to bring a wealth of experience and knowledge of the elite level of football.  His connections with Ronaldo and Varane should make it fairly easy for the Brazillian to settle in at the club.  While he finds his feet, Casimero has cameod off the bench, but I would be amazed if he doesn't end up replacing Scott McTominay in the starting XI come the world cup.

Fred

One day, united's best player, the next our weak link.  After a short resurgence under Ragnick, Fred finds himself watching from the sidelines, but with 5 subs he could prove a very useful squad player.  Hard working, fairly comfortable on the ball and has played a lot of football over the last couple of years, Fred is sure to be used when Eriksen comes off or for a winger, pushing Buno out wide and Eriksen more advanced.

Assessment - solid

Despite missing out on top target Frenkie De Jong, there is just cause for cautious optimism in United's engine room with many of the central midfielders comfortable in more advanced roles as well should Ten Hag choose to change system during the season.  The engine room should be in good hands, with Van De Beek also capable to play in a deeper role if need be.

Number 10

Bruno Fernandes

The step-in captain while Maguire sits on the bench, Bruno looks refreshed and revitalised in the first glimpses this season.  I'm tipping Bruno to not have a great return of goals & assists but to be one of the most instrumental players in the way that we play this season.  With some real quality behind him and attacks being built from the back, Bruno will be unlocked in more of a free role and will be tasked solely with many the attacks click.

Donny Van De Beek

Ole & Ragnick both ridiculed, but Donny certainly hasn't been given the new lease on life that many United fans expected him to have under his former Ajax manager.  In his early days, Ten Hag was questioned about where he thought Donny's best position was and he made it very clear it was as an attacking midfielder, yet Ole was ridiculed for putting Donny there.  More recently, Van De Beek has struggled to even make Ten Hag's matchday squads so it will be interesting to see whether Donny can impress if and when Ten Hag chooses to rotate his squad

Assessment - inventive

Bruno as the first choice, Eriksen pushing up if Bruno isn't there and if all else fails Donny as the 10 is a fairly decent situation to be in.  All 3 players bring a very different profile to the number 10 role so they provide distinctively different options in attack rather than just depth.  In fact this appears to be one of our positions where we are well covered with strong players.  It is also worth mentioning that if Hannibal Mejibri has a good loan spell at Birmingham then our options for this position could be bolstered even more.

Wingers

Jadon Sancho

After an incredibly tough and slow start to life in the premier league (similar to his transfer saga), Jadon seems to have found some joy under Ten Hag.  Utilised from the right in the first few games and more recently switching to the left to get Antony in his position again, Sancho has been a key part of the attack in a goal scoring and creating capacity.  I (like many other united fans) thing this will be the season Sancho finds his feet in Manchester and really announces himself to the premier league.

Antony

Coming with a big price tag, Antony did well to silence the doubters with a debut goal against Arsenal.  Although I don't know a tonne about him, Erik Ten Hag does and I am sure he wouldn't have sanctioned the transfer if he didn't think Antony would be a big part of the present & future of his project here.  A left footed right winger with true Brazilian flair provides something very different to Rashford, Sancho & Elanga so it will be exciting to see how Antony settles in.

Anthony Elanga

One of the very few players that starred under Ralf Ragnick's shambolic tenure at Old Trafford, Elanga has continued his inspiring breakthrough into senior football under Ten Hag.  With the signing of Antony, Cristiano Ronaldo being forced to stay and Martial returning to fitness, I would imagine Elanga will struggle to feature in too many of the important games but he is undoubtedly a useful squad player in the new 5-sub era of the premier league.  I hope Elanga gets enough minutes to impress across all competitions as his development could easily fly under the radar this season, he needs to work really hard to impress.

Alejandro Garnacho

A young man we are all very excited about.  The Argentinian has featured in squads with both Messi and Ronaldo, I'm sure he would love to follow in their footsteps by impressing early on in his career.  Similar to Elanga, he will have to work really hard to get meaningful minutes this season but at 18 years of age the priority is ensuring he gains some valuable awareness of the demands of the senior game this season.

Shola Shorertire

I was reluctant to put Shola on this list as I am not sure he will feature in too many senior squads this season but never-the-less I felt obliged to include him as he is in our registered PL squad.  Shola falls in the same category of Zidane Iqbal and Charlie Savage this season in players that are likely to play regularly for the academy but will be the first in line should Erik want to bring academy boys into the squad.  Shole featured for the first team a couple of times under Ole and by all accounts could be a really useful player, just probably not this season.

Facundo Pellistri

Facundo's loan move failed to materialise due to his injury.  I would be surprised if that situation doesn't resurrect itself in January.  Signed at the same time as his compatriot Edinson Cavani, Facundo's united career hasn't taken off as quickly as Cavani's did, but there is still hope.

Assessment - exciting

With Rashford & Sancho having new leases on life, Antony being brought in and Elanga continuing to develop, it appears we have 4 really strong first team wingers that we can rotate throughout the season.  We also have a really exciting youngster in Garnacho that may very well be drafted in should there be a chance to expose him to some first team football.  It appears as if we are well stocked for the next few years.

Striker

Marcus Rashford

Despite being a winger by trade (since Van Gaal left), Marcus has impressed at the start of this season as a makeshift number 9 and I believe he will get the chance to establish himself there.  After a dreadful last season, the shackles seem to be off the inspirational United boy.  Both on and off the pitch, Marcus is having a real impact in Manchester at this moment in time.  Finishing like a striker, running with the ball like a winger and linking play like a number 10, Rashford is looking really at home as the focal point of Ten Hag's 4231 system.  A situation to follow as both a winger and a number 9.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Well well well... where do I start?  After being offered out to everyone from Athletico Madrid to Asda over the summer, Ronaldo finds himself tortured by the tune of the Europa league for the 2022/23 season.  With the world cup coming before January, Ronaldo certainly can't afford to sit and sulk if he wants to be sharp, fresh and inspired as he aims to lead Portugal to a decent campaign in Qatar.  Yes Cristiano had an outstanding goal return last season but he doesn't seem to suit the high press, high intensity approach that Ten Hag's Ajax adopted.  The Athletic suggested we are now entering Cristiano's super-sub era which may very well be true, but on £500,000 a week and the fuss he might kick up if he isn't starting games, it just doesn't seem worth it.  I hope Cristiano works hard and manages to impress off the bench and score goals this season, but it will seem an inevitability that he will leave on a free at the end of the season.  

Anthony Martial

After a really promising pre-season, injury hit at the wrong time for Anthony.  He will now be playing catchup to Rashford as the first choice centre forward and will now be competing with Ronaldo to show what he can offer to the team.  I was really excited for the former Monaco youngster to come back revitalised and hungry for this season but I now doubt that.  Possibly Anthony's ultimate final chance this year and everyone is hoping he can add something to the team as he tries to prove his point.

Assessment - needs a superstar

The 3 strikers on this list don't seem to really be centre forwards.  Rashford has featured mainly on the wing and is now impressing again in a central role, Ronaldo a winger by trade who has moved to centre forward in his older age as his fitness has been tested and Martial who has flip-flopped between a wide and central role ever since he was signed by Louis Van Gaal.  This team needs a proper centre forward like Haaland, Lewandowski or Kane should we wish to be a serious contender for the league and the champions league.

Out on loan

Dean Henderson (Nottingham Forest)

Not short of self-confidence, Dean's pre-season interviews seem to suggest he is done with Manchester United.  He blamed Ole for not living up to his promise of being first choice and decided before Ten Hag came in that he didn't want to be here.  On a big wage and a long contract, I am sure the club will demand a high fee for Henderson should he wish to leave permanently.  A situation to follow as De Gea enters the final year of his contract.

Alex Telles (Sevilla)

With Malacia signed, Alex Telles' short-lived united career seems to be over.  An exciting signing for a cheap fee at the time but he has proved to only really push Luke Shaw and whenever he was on the pitch he rarely impressed.  Best of luck to the Brazillian and I am sure he will leave permanently in the near future after Ten Hag clearly didn't like what he was in pre-season.

Eric Bailly (Olympique Marseille)

Insane, hilarious and injury-prone.  Eric is a talented centre-half but just not right for Manchester United.  His unorthodox ways provide some entertaining viewing but he just isn't an option if we are looking to form a stable centre back partnership.  Eric has recently spoken out about his frustrations of being overlooked, but the reality is if he could keep fit there are no doubts he would have had more than enough opportunities to establish himself as United's best centre half.

Hannibal Mejibri (Birmingham City)

A real exciting loan for the young man who joins fellow long, curly haired creative midfielder Tahith Chong in England's second city.  Despite Birmingham's well documented financial troubles, new manager John Eustace will be looking to focus attention back on the pitch.  I though Lee Bowyer did a great job keeping Birmingham up under tough circumstances last season, and I hope Eustace can do the same while exposing the aggressive, young number 10 to the delights of senior football in the championship.

Amad Diallo (Sunderland)

After a lukewarm loan spell at Rangers last season, Amad will be looking to impressive under wise Tony Mowbray in the north-east.  Arriving for a big fee without experiencing any senior football, Amad has a lot of impressing to do if he is going to justify the ridiculous fee that was paid to Atalanta.  I hope Sunderland is the right place for this but one thing is for certain, playing for a club the size of Sunderland in the championship the magnifying glass will be put on him.  Here's to hoping Amad becomes another one of Tony Mowbray's youngsters that blossom into wonderful senior footballers.

Alvaro Fernandez (Preston) 

Admittedly a fullback I know little about, the Spaniard will be one I will follow this season while he spends the year on loan at Preston.  Other players contracted to premier league clubs (presently or in the past) you may know who will join Fernandez at Preston this year include Freddie Woodman, Troy Parrett, Robbie Brady & Ben Woodburn.