Eric Bailly, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic: that’s how you revive a stagnant squad.
Thanks to the disruptive tendencies of a certain Dutchman, Jose Mourinho’s pre-season to-do-list at Old Trafford was almost as lengthy as his predecessor’s exhaustive list of excuses. Yet, United’s Mr Right appears to have corrected the cumulative wrongs of Louis Van Gaal’s reign of tedium. Excitement? Tick. Optimism? Tick. Top class signings in every area of the pitch? A tick and a gold star.
After three seasons without as much as a title challenge, Mourinho has replenished United’s ranks with the very best money can buy. Signed for £30 million after just 40 senior league appearances for Espanyol and Villarreal, centre-half Eric Bailly arrived at Old Trafford amid understandable scepticism but, if his first few weeks in English football are anything to go by, United may have finally found their successor to Nemanja Vidic. Strapping and speedy with an athlete’s build, Bailly is every bit the archetypal Jose Mourinho centre-back.
It was at the other end, however, that United were crying out for reinforcements. Being outscored by perennial relegation dodgers Sunderland usually suggests the problems are not limited to the defence. And, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic arriving to replenish a dehydrated strike-force, United can be confident of putting Fabio Borini and co back in their place this season.
Mkhitaryan may be yet to start following his summer move from Borussia Dortmund, but eleven goals and 15 assists in the Bundesliga last season suggests he could be the creative master in a midfield of Jacks.
And, although some eagle eyed viewers have pointed out that a world record fee of £89 million is a rather large outlay for a player United lost on a free just four years ago, but, in Paul Pogba, United have a future Ballon D’Or winner in their ranks and arguably the most complete footballer of his generation.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, meanwhile, is, and will always be, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Four goals in his first three appearances has done little to dispel the notion that the 34-year-old could be to this emergent United side to what Eric Cantona was to the 1992 trendsetters.
Suddenly, with the club’s three time player of the year David De Gea fully focused and brilliant as ever, Mourinho possesses arguably the strongest spine in the Premier League. Now, it’s just a case of putting theory into practice.
Rating: A
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