As Ralf Rangnick said, sharply before his contract came to an early end, 10 new players are needed.
As another rebuild for another new manager starts, we have come up with, or should I say whittled
it down, to three players that Ten Haag should consider shipping out. We have also included three
players that could replace them and make a start in trying to finally get Manchester United winning
again.
The first position to focus on is the Goalkeeper. David De Gea is first to go. This may come as a shock
to many of you due to his shot-stopping ability and reflexes, which led him to claim a player of the
month award last season. However, a phrase that opposes this award that has been used a lot
recently, is shot-prevention. This is supposed to give a more accurate representation of whether-or-
not a keeper is winning games for the team. For example, players like Ederson aren’t known for their
shot-stopping because they face so few, and this is down to their shot-prevention. Shot-prevention
includes distribution, sweeping, claiming crosses, and positioning. All things that stop the opposition
from having the opportunity to take a shot in the first place. These are all areas in which De Gea is
weak in, as he tends to stay on his line. De Gea is in the bottom 1% of goalkeepers when it comes to
touches per 90, and in the bottom 3% when it comes to crosses stopped. It is because of this that he
must pull off such dynamic camera saves which make him seem so good. However, at 31 he is
starting to age and will begin to lose his acrobatic ability. If his performance against Brentford wasn’t
enough alone to convince you that United need a new keeper, then I’m not sure what will. Even if
you take away his howler for the first goal, it was also his pass that put Eriksen under pressure and
led to the second goal. Stopping situations like that from materialising is what shot-prevention is all
about. De Gea, as third highest paid player in the premier league, is a huge drain on resources and
with his performances in recent years, it is a wonder why. By selling De Gea it sures up an extra
£19m a year for United.
Our choice to replace him would be Jose Sa. The goalkeeper had an impressive breakout season with
Wolves last year. He had the second-best save percentage in all of Europe’s top five leagues, just
behind Maignan. We considered Maignan, but Jose Sa excels not only in save percentage but also in
shot-prevention. He is in the top 10% of keepers when it comes to crosses stopped, defensive
actions outside the area, and an average distance of defensive actions from the goal line with
passing also considerably better than De Gea’s. Sa also managed to get an assist last season using
this impressive passing range. We know that he can cope in the premier league as shown by his most
recent success despite a disappointing Wolves team. Another option I considered was Brighton’s
Robert Sanchez, who currently starts over De Gea on the Spanish national side. Very good with his
feet and playing in a Brighton team that utilises him well, he was a strong potential replacement.
Nonetheless, his save percentages were not as high as Sa’s and despite the rest of his shot-
prevention stats being decent, he also tends to stay on his line.
The second position is one that Man U have needed to fill for a while now. With Matic leaving a
couple of seasons after he should have, is a hole as a DM that needs filling. Now I’m not even going
to mention the De Jong situation, as that has surely bored everyone for far too long. The second
player I would give marching orders to is Donny Van De Beek. This one does feel a tad harsh as
Donny hasn’t really been given a chance at Manchester United, but with the signing of Erikson I am
just not too sure what his role in the club is anymore. He is also on about £120,000 per week which
is just crazy numbers for someone likely to be a backup player. We thought maybe he might be
rejuvenated under Ten Haag, but if the Brighton game was anything to go by then it is looking like
another season watching the games from the dug-out for him. He never really cemented his position
in the squad and people have still been unsure about what his best position is. No one really knows
whether he is suited best as a 6, 8, or a 10. Both the roles as a 6 or an 8 inexplicably keep getting
given to McFred. The more advanced roles are always in heavy competition from a variety of
mediocre participants meaning a lack of game time for Donny. Consequently, for both parties’
mutual benefit, he has got to go.
Fitting into the Midfield in place of Donny, we believe a good fit would be Ibrahim Sangaré. PSV’s
Ivorian, press resistant, 6ft 3in defensive midfielder would be a perfect fit to help Manchester United
sure up things in the midfield. At 24, Sangaré would help the Red Devils to see out yet another
transition period, and Ten Haag should already be familiar with his style of play from his time with
Ajax. This physical and dominant 6 should have no problem adapting to the premier league, losing
only 0.95 aerial duels per 90 last season. His defensive stats are through the roof, with him being in
the 90 th percentile for tackles won, pressures in the defensive third, and shots blocked. For
reference, McTominay records 17.3 pressures per 90 putting him in the bottom 37 th percentile.
Sangaré’s ball-playing ability is nothing to be ashamed of either. He records 11.59 passes under
pressure, putting him in the top 85% of midfielders, as well as being a progressive passer and making
280 yards per 90. While being 6’3” he still manages to have a technical elegance about him. He can
turn and beat a press with small body feints and touches that are reminiscent of a prime Busquets.
Although, having signed a new deal with PSV just this month may mean the Glazers having to check
behind the cushions to get a deal through.
The last player that needs to go is Wan-Bissaka. Wan-Bissaka has some great defensive attributes,
including his dramatic last-ditch tackles and blocks, but for similar reasons to why I believe De Gea is
no longer fit for a spot, he needs to move on. I hate to reference that trite Maldini quote; “If I have
to make a tackle then I have already made a mistake,” but it applies to AWB. As his positioning and
ability with the ball are so poor, it means he must make these spectacular tackles. He would be
much more suited to Burnley or Leeds. Going forward he lacks any creative ability, including poor
crosses and misplaced simple passes. AWB registers only 2.64 progressive passes per 90, which
places him in the lowest 20% of fullbacks. Fullbacks are so important in modern teams to try and
play out from the back and overload opposition defences, but with his mile-touches and poor
positioning, he is costing the team goals at both ends. He plays like he is wearing skinny jeans.
Some of my thoughts for who could fill the spot at right back were Jonathan Clauss and Mazraoui,
but both have recently signed with new clubs making them unlikely to change allegiances so quickly.
Therefore, we are going for a bit more of a riskier pick. We have gone with the 19-year-old Lyon right
back, Malo Gusto. He somewhat had a break-through season last season and competed with Lyon
up until the quarterfinals of the Europa League. Visually he can perform the exuberant last-ditch
tackles that Wan-Bissaka can. Gusto makes 2.63 tackles per 90 putting him in the top 80 th percentile
of fullbacks, as well as being in the top 91% of fullbacks for pressures, meaning he’ll be perfect for
the Ten Haag system. He is also proficient in the attacking third, he reaches 7.26 progressive carries
per 90 and is in the top 90% of fullbacks in this area. He also has notable passing and has good
conversion to assists, providing 0.2 passes that lead to shots per game. Being just 19 years old could
also mean he is a long-term asset, that could become a club legend in the same way Trent has at
Liverpool. Gusto in the past has also played further up the field for Lyon on the right side of the
midfield. This sort of versatility could be useful when United change to a three-back, as they have
done for tougher games in the past.