Manchester United’s best starting XI if Benjamin Sesko is signed | OneFootball

Manchester United are closing in on a deal to sign Benjamin Sesko after trumping Newcastle in a red-hot race for the 22-year-old striker.

A £74 million proposal has been tabled by United, which RB Leipzig are yet to accept, but Sesko has communicated his desire to complete the switch to Old Trafford and negotiations are ongoing between the two clubs.

At this stage, the transfer is more a case of when rather than if, with United set to take their spending on Ruben Amorim’s misfiring forward line past the £200 million mark after deals were already agreed for Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo earlier in the summer.

The Red Devils endured their worst campaign in the Premier League era last season with a 15th-place finish as Amorim’s team broke multiple records in terms of points, losses, position, and goals scored.

Only Everton and three relegated sides – Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton – produced fewer goals. The senior striking partnership of Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee combined for just seven league goals, despite costing in excess of £100 million across successive summer windows.

The need for a comprehensive overhaul of the attack was evident – and Amorim now has three forwards who combined for 48 league goals last season at his disposal, four more than entire United squad produced.

But how do the three Muscoreteers fit into the Portuguese coach’s system? What does their introduction mean for the future of existing attackers in the squad? Will the defensive unit and goalkeeper stay the same or are changes needed at the back as well as the front?

The Peoples Person has constructed the ideal starting XI for United this season with a fully healthy squad and the (assumed) addition of Sesko…plus one or two others. Let’s dive in, starting in reverse order.

Attack

The attack is the easiest place to start as this is where Amorim has chosen to direct the club’s attention in the transfer market.

The former Sporting manager’s trademark formation – a 3-4-2-1 system – relies on a three-man attack with two number tens and a number nine leading the line. Cunha and Mbeumo have been targeted for the former while Sesko will operate as the latter.

Other players from the squad will feature, particularly earlier in the campaign if Sesko’s arrival is delayed and the Slovenian requires time to get up to speed at Carrington. But United have not invested over £200 million into these three targets without Amorim’s intent for them to form a crucial part of his side this season.

Mbeumo                  Cunha      Sesko

Midfield: The midfield is a conundrum United had appear content to put off solving for another season, despite it being a pressing concern.

Amorim has spoken about the need for more dynamism in his engine room but the deals for Sesko, Mbeumo and Cunha was believed to have left little in the budget to target a top-class operator in midfield  – or that seemed true until this evening.

United are now making advances towards signing Brighton & Hove starlet Carlos Barleba – a dream signing with the 21-year-old Cameroon international already one of the standout defensive midfielders in the Premier League.

The Seagulls would likely ask for a fee in excess of £100 million for their prized asset however, making a deal appear unfeasible this summer – but that feeling had existed towards Sesko as well.

Atalanta dynamo Ederson – a long-term target at Old Trafford – would be cheaper, though still costly at around €60 million, with the Italian side savvy transfer negotiators. United’s deal for Rasmus Hojlund is likely still being celebrated by La Dea two years on.

United have also been linked with cheaper alternatives like Leicester City’s Wilfred Ndidi or a loan move for wantaway Juventus star Douglas Luiz, who previously thrived in England with Aston Villa.

If the club are able to shift some of their unwanted stars, such as Alejandro Garnacho, Tyrell Malacia, Antony and Jadon Sancho, this may free up sufficient funds to target a key target like Baleba.

The Cameroonian midfielder would offer a radical improvement to the physicality of United’s midfield and provide a far more suitable partner to Bruno Fernandes or Kobbie Mainoo than Manuel Ugarte and Casemiro. But there is no guarantee this will happen with the ‘bomb squad’ proving extremely difficult to shift on permanent deals.

If a new midfielder cannot be sourced, with reports describing a move for Baleba as “difficult”, Ugarte and Fernandes represent the most balanced pairing.

United’s captain will be shifted back to make room for Cunha and Mbeumo in the number ten positions while Ugarte offers superb ball-winning abilities; it’s just a shame the Uruguayan is so limited once he regains possession, as Luis Enrique identified immediately after taking over at Paris Saint-Germain.

This remains an area which needs needs to be addressed, either this summer or the next, but it is encouraging options such as Baleba and Ederson are being explored.

Ugarte*              Fernandes

*to be replaced by Baleba

Defence

The defence was the strongest area of Amorim’s squad heading into the summer window and there was little expectation of more additions, outside the potential of another wing-back.

But the arrival of Mbeumo enables Amad to be deployed as a right wing-back with January signing Patrick Dorgu, who has enjoyed a superb pre-season, stationed on the left.

This significantly increases the attacking threat out wide – a key part of a 3-4-2-1 system as there are no wingers with the wing-backs expected to provide a constant overlap for the two number tens.

The three-man defence is stacked with options with Leny Yoro the standout defender already at just 19 years of age. The best balance comes from the French starlet playing on the right with Lisandro Martinez on the other side, buttressed by Matthijs de Ligt in the middle.

Martinez’s distribution has been sorely missed since his devastating knee injury in February but the Argentina international is expected to return in late September. In his stead, Ayden Heaven has impressed and is likely to get the nod for the first period of the campaign.

Martinez’s biggest weakness is his lack of pace and physicality; areas which may become even greater issues after such a serious knee injury. This is a similar concern with Amad as a wing-back based on his diminutive size, despite his tenacious work-rate and tactical intelligence.

But this is where Yoro and Dorgu come to the fore – two players with outstanding physical attributes.

Yoro will be able to provide excellent cover to Amad, freeing up the Ivorian to play high and wide, while Dorgu retains the speed and strength to track back and support Martinez if the Argentine is forced to defend the left-hand side side. There is a balance to the team, both in and out of possession, with these specific partnerships on the channels.

In the centre, Harry Maguire has enjoyed a resurgence under Amorim, who is a huge fan of the 32-year-old centre-back, but De Ligt offers more speed and aggression than his English teammate. Amorim’s system requires the defence to step up and bolster the midfield pivot; De Ligt is far more comfortable with his demand than Maguire.

Yoro              De Ligt          Martinez Amad                                                                           Dorgu

Goalkeeper:

The number one position at Old Trafford offers many of the same issues as the midfield unit: a lack of viable options and a budget which has been focused further up the pitch.

The existing goalkeepers, Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir, have both consistently made game-changing errors since Amorim’s arrival last November. As a result, the 40-year-old coach is believed to want a new shot stopper to arrive this summer but there are hurdles preventing this.

Onana appears intent on remaining at the club despite interest from the Saudi Pro League. Conversely, Bayindir has explored a departure but there are few takers for a shaky number two with poor distribution. It appears to be a case of ‘one in, one out’ for United in goal with a departure required to sanction a signing.

The emphasis on attacking recruits has left little in the bank to pursue a new goalkeeper, though United have been strongly linked with Royal Antwerp’s Senne Lammens, who has enjoyed a superb season in Belgium and is believed to be available for around £17 million.

If Bayindir can be shifted and Lammens brought in to rival Onana, The Peoples Person predict it will not take long for the 23-year-old Belgian to supersede the Cameroon international, even if Onana remains the number one initially.

Onana*

*to be replaced by Lammens

The Starting XI:

Lammens

Yoro             De Ligt         Martinez

Amad                Baleba           Fernandes         Dorgu

Mbeumo             Cunha

Sesko

Let The Peoples Person know in the comments whether this side is capable of challenging for Champions League qualification next season or if even more investment is required to get it up to scratch.

Featured image Alex Livesey via Getty Images

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