Could this finally be Man Utd’s season ?
Will Jose Mourinho be able to get Man Utd at the summit of the Premier league ?. Having already missed out on Antoine Griezmann via the transfer ban, will Ed woodward get the players Mourinho needs in order to raise the standards on the pitch ?
Its that season of the year when all Man Utd fans think, “Its Jose’s second season !”. That anticipation to see which signing will come in & the fear whether those player will deliver.
Where ever Mourinho has been at, he done it in his 2nd spell. Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Chelsea (second stint). Clearing out the deadwood post Sir Alex Ferguson was always going be a big task.
The Special one inherited a squad which was a mixture of Moyes & Van Gaal’s. Getting the likes of Eric Bailly, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Zlatan Ibrahimovic & Paul Pogba in his first season, he has got the team a sense of a leader in Zlatan, Solidity in Bailly, Creativity in Henrikh & a future star in Pogba.

The 1st season was just putting the small pieces of his jigsaw puzzle. The Premier League season was just a below par performance finishing 6th below Arsenal. Even though the team under performed in the league, there were glimpses of the ruthless United we were familiar of. Running down the pitch, High pressing & a much open style of play compared to the pragmatic style of Van Gaal. Zlatan’s goal were crucial & definitely laid an impact onto his teammates until he suffered a cruciate ligament damage in April. Bailly got balance to the much needed defence line which was lacking since that title winning squad in 2013. Hard as nails, Bailly got the crowd loving him instantly. Henrikh & Pogba had early struggling days but got their feet running just when the squad needed during the busy Christmas Schedule.
But the problems were bigger. Inconsistent performances in Smailing & Jones which led to a leaky defence. Midfield lacked depth. Even having a trio of Carrack-Herrera-Pogba, Michael was 35 years which could not make him play every weekend. Attack being their biggest disappointment last season especially when United drew against the likes of Swansea, West Brom, Burnley, Arsenal, Liverpool, Hull, Stoke, Bournemouth etc. Jose Mourinho knew a much needed makeshift is needed.
Having won the Community Shield, The Capital One cup & the biggest of all, Europa league which saw them qualify for the Uefa Champions league next season. The task to mount at the summit next season became inevitable in his mind. Winning the Premier league is always going to be difficult with the money pouring in today’s market & getting players at a much inflated rate.

Jose Mourinho transfer’s dealings got an early hit with Ibrahimovic’s long term absentee due to his cruciate injury meaning the player & the club to made an amicable decision to not extend his contract.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic made 28 appearances & scored 17 goals in the Premier league. 28 goals in all competitions. He's been the main man at Old Trafford. Since Van Persie in 2013, United finally had a man they could rely on. Headed goals, Left foot, Right foot & more over a great addition to the dressing room. Players like Martial, Rashford could do nothing but learn from his invaluable experience.
Another brick wall Manutd & Jose were hit when the transfer of French International Antoine Griezmann was blocked due to Atletico Madrid’s transfer ban meaning they could only sign him in January 2018.
Mourinho identified Alvaro Morata as a suitable replacement of Ibrahimovic. Having been given his debut at Madrid & followed him since then. He believed he was the main man to lead the line with the likes of Martial, Rashford, Lingard. Real Madrid’s whooping asking price of €90m blew the deal off.
Wayne Rooney’s emotional return to Everton saw Mr. Woodward negotiate a deal for their main man Romelu Lukaku. A €75m deal saw the tough Belgium arrive & directly replace Ibrahimovic leaving Chelsea shell-shocked.

With the arrival of Victor Lindelof, Manutd finally must've got someone who could form a formidable partnership with Bailly. At 22 years, Bailly-Lindelof can become a solid back line for years to come.

With Pre-season games starting in the USA, Jose Mourinho has Underlined the importance of 4 signings. Having already got two signings in Lindelof & Lukaku , Mourinho has repeatedly expressed his desire at wanting more two, or, at least one more to give the squad more balance. With Carrack at 35 years, more numbers are required at the heart of Midfield & it is tipped Nemanja Matic could reunited with the Special one. Young blood in Rashford, Lingard & Martial, they have huge potential but they lack the experience of killing off games week in week out.
Ivan Perisic is highly tipped to join Mourinho at Old trafford , will Ed Woodward pay the money Inter is demanding or will end up looking elsewhere.? Time will tell.
Sandeep Matharu.