United View: New arrivals just in time for the season

Manchester United returned to competitive football at the weekend, narrowly losing to close rivals Manchester City on penalties in the Community Shield.

A promising showing for the Reds who have also dipped into the transfer market ahead of the upcoming Premier League season.

After a goalless first half, whereby both teams were trying to shake off the inevitable pre-season rust the game opened up after the break. Bruno Fernandes’ amazing non-goal in the 54th minute was one of many nearly moments for United, with Rashford hitting the post and Scott McTominay also going close.

The breakthrough finally came when Alejandro Garnacho, fresh off his Copa America Triumph, cut inside from the right and slotted home past Ederson. It looked like that would be enough for United until Bernardo Silva equalised in the 89th minute.

With no extra time, the game went straight to penalties. Despite Bernardo Silva missing his penalty for the Blues, subsequent misses from Jadon Sancho and Johnny Evans handed the Community Shield to Pep Guardiola’s side for the first time since 2019.

Although it wasn’t the result Erik ten Hag would have wanted, he would have been impressed with how his side played, particularly in the team’s tactical flexibility both in and out of possession. Most notably Lisandro Martinez, who played at left back in this game, dropped into midfield when United had the ball.

Normally Aaron Wan Bissaka would deputise as a left full-back, but with his move to West Ham significantly progressing over the weekend, he was left out of the squad at Wembley. It’s reported his move will be worth around £15million with only one year left on his United contract.

Wan Bissaka has been a tremendous servant for the club since his signing from Crystal Palace in 2019, producing monstrous defensive performances against the likes of Kylian Mbappe in the Champions League, Allan Saint Maximin in the League Cup final And Jeremy Doku in the FA Cup Final.

His replacement comes in Noussair Mazraoui from Bayern Munich for around €15million and €5million in add-ons. The Moroccan may not possess the same defensive 1v1 abilities but is more technically sound, being able to receive the ball under pressure and distributing it more effectively.

He joins alongside fellow teammate, Matthijs de Ligt, for a fee of around €45million. This should provide United with significantly better defensive options, compared to last season which saw Johnny Evans feature 30 times – nothing but respect for the Belfast Maldini.

The Bayern pair join the ever-growing list of players who have previously worked with Erik ten Hag during his time at Ajax, something that has produced mixed results from Lisandro Martinez to Antony.

The club has also been actively trying to sign a defensive midfielder but whether they can find a sufficient candidate is uncertain, however, fans have been relatively pleased with the transfer business this summer.

Hopefully, the new signings will be in contention for selection against Fulham on Friday night as the Reds kick off the 24/25 Premier League season at Old Trafford. It’ll be interesting to see how Ten Hag sets up his side and if they can start more encouragingly to the 1-0 win against Wolves last season.

But for better or worse, club football is just on the horizon. After a campaign filled with woe and eventual jubilation last time out, United will want to build upon a positive summer and make their mark on the league under the new ownership.