Season Review: A penalty kick away from success for Manchester United

The fairytale ending to what has been Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s best season as Manchester United boss to date, wasn’t to be.

A single spot-kick was enough for the Norwegian to deem the campaign as an unsuccessful one, despite the numerous leaps his side have made throughout – leading many to name Solskjaer as the club’s best manager since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013.

Many factors can be highlighted when attempting to recognise United’s failure to bring home a trophy in the past four seasons, but when the lights were brightest, the Red Devils simply weren’t good enough.

Progress is key

Just three months ago, in March 2021, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said he wanted Manchester United to be judged on their league form, rather than cup wins. This was a particularly bold statement to make considering the illustrious trophy cabinets that sit inside Old Trafford, but after the ruins left by David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho, the Norweigan knows what he’s talking about.

“Any cup competition can give you a trophy but sometimes it’s more of an ego thing from other managers and clubs to finally win something. It’s not like a trophy will say: ‘We’re back.’ No, it’s the gradual progression of being in and around the top of the league and the consistency, and the odd cup competition can hide the fact you’re struggling a little bit.”

Solskjaer’s side became just the third team to go an entire Premier League season unbeaten away from home, accumulating 43 points just two less than champions Manchester City (45).

United finished the 2020/21 league campaign in second position with 74 points, eight clear of last season’s third-placed finish (66). Arguments have appeared in an attempt to discount the Manchester club’s progress, such as Arsenal’s fifth-place finish in 2017 with 75 points and failing to qualify for the Champions League; but the Premier League changes every year and with that you must adapt.

No season will ever be the same, and will always have different thresholds as to how many points will guarantee each position. However, if Manchester United’s aim is the title, they’ll need to add around 10 points to their 2020/21 tally.

In an alternate universe, David de Gea slots home the 22nd penalty of the shootout against Villarreal and United go on to lift the trophy in Gdansk and Solskjaer is paraded and hailed for the way he’s turned the team around.

With the flick of a switch, United’s season could’ve been turned from failure to instant success. A penalty shootout is a lottery – albeit the sub-par display to allow the game to go as far as extra time, never mind penalties, can be heavily critiqued.

A final defeat on penalties, four semi-final defeats and an exit from the Champions League group stage looms over Solskjaer’s last two seasons as a manager; in turn, raising the question, is the current Manchester United squad both good and strong enough to turn progress into success?

Indeed, there is a big difference between success and progress, but United are on track to bring silverware back home to the Theatre of Dreams, which would be for the first time in five years.

Give it, give it, give it

After years of choosing between Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford as Manchester United’s number nine, who would’ve expected the answer to be a 34-year-old Edinson Cavani, who many tipped to be ‘just another Radamel Falcao’?

The Uruguayan scored 17 goals and assisted six times with an average of one goal contribution every 94 minutes. Nine of those contributions (six goals, three assists) came in just five appearances throughout United’s Europa League campaign.

Cavani registered the highest xG per shot for players with over 1200 minutes played and over 20 shots taken in the Premier League, with 24/35 of his shots taken from within 12 yards of goal. A traditional target man.

His tricky movement and raw striker’s instinct was something very few expected to be so sharp from the get-go, having joined on a free transfer from PSG and barely playing throughout the 2019/20 season.

In one of the biggest U-turns ever seen at Old Trafford, Cavani decided to renew his Manchester United contract in May after telling the club in March he wouldn’t be returning in favour of joining Boca Juniors and being closer to his family in South America.

The influence of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the striker’s decision cannot be underestimated – managing to convince Cavani to stay despite struggling to live in Manchester during the nationwide lockdown, by himself and without family.

The 34-year-old became only the third United player to reach 10+ goals in a single Premier League season while aged 33 or over at the beginning of the campaign alongside Teddy Sheringham (2000/01) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (2016/17).

Cavani takes much of his game from his boss, too. The striker equalled the Manchester United record for the highest number of Premier League goals scored by a substitute in a single season (5), joining Chicharito (2010/11) and Solskjaer (1998/99).

United’s search for a number nine has been silently paused, despite continuing to monitor the likes of Erling Haaland and Harry Kane – but it doesn’t look like they’ll need to bring either to Old Trafford this summer with El Matador firing on all cylinders.

Taking home the last two Manchester United Player of the Month awards for April and May respectively, Cavani will look to build on this form ahead of this summer’s Copa America and return sharper than ever for the Red Devils in August.

Are United relying too heavily on individual brilliance?

At (too) many times throughout the campaign, United’s attack laid heavy on the shoulders of one Bruno Fernandes.

The number 18 shirt has become even more iconic at Old Trafford thanks to two men with the natural ability to leave jaws on the floor – Paul Scholes and the Portuguese midfielder.

Continuing his legacy in the way Scholes would have dreamed, Fernandes has had no choice but to step up and deliver amid injuries and dips in form from Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood alike.

Keeping count of the times the midfielder has clutched the victory for his side this season can become tiring. To mention a few: winning penalties against Brighton, West Brom, Aston Villa alongside winning strikes in the FA Cup against Liverpool, four goal contributions against Roma; the list is endless.

Fernandes almost outdid his very own record as the highest scoring midfielder in European history with 28 goals and 17 assists, coming up short of his 2018/19 tally consisting of 32 goals and 18 assists.

Breaking records looks to be Bruno’s forte – knocking Frank Lampard off his perch as the midfielder with the most goal contributions in England’s top-flight in a single season. Lampard’s 29 was surpassed by Fernandes’ 31, placing his name alongside Premier League royalty.

Undoubtedly Manchester United’s best signing since Robin van Persie, the Portuguese midfielder created the most chances among Europe’s top five leagues, Champions League and Europa League combined with 133. Not only did Fernandes achieve this impressive feat, but he was also 21 clear of second-place Hakan Calhanoglu with 112.

For large parts of the season, United’s attack appeared a one-trick pony with almost all play flowing down the left-hand side between Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford. This isn’t surprising however, considering Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s attacking limitations despite the improvements shown this season, and Mason Greenwood’s inconsistencies showing he is far more comfortable through the middle as a centre-forward.

In order to prevent teams from instantly being able to shut down United’s left-flank attacks due to the repetitive nature, the club must look to explore in the transfer market and add a natural right-winger such as Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho to ensure a balance between the wings and create additional passages of play.

Maguire deserves a suitable defensive partner

The central defender has enjoyed a spectacular second season at Old Trafford, putting to bed any doubts or concerns as to whether he was the right signing for Manchester United or not.

Maguire completed the most passes (2,516), most headed passes (142), most clearances (234) and most aerial duels won (182) out of the entire United squad despite missing the last part of the campaign due to an injury sustained in a 3-1 win at Villa Park last month.

Swedish international Victor Lindelof hasn’t been popular among fans for a considerable amount of time, leading many to suggest a partner like Pau Torres or Raphael Varane would be better suited to the United captain.

Lindelof’s aerial weakness became even more alarming in the Europa League final when failing to clear Dani Parejo’s cross which Gerard Moreno poked home to open the scoring for Villarreal.

Paul Scholes came out and openly criticised the 26-year-old, saying ‘I think Lindelof is doing alright, I just think alright isn’t good enough to win a league.’

United’s lacking ability to successfully defend set-pieces has cost them heavily in the past two seasons, with Lindelof letting down his partner whose aerial presence is one of the strongest aspects of his game.

Harry Maguire is about to enter the prime of his career, and for the team to use that to the best of their advantage, they must find a more suitable partner who corresponds with the Englishman’s style of play and strengths.

It’s no secret that the United captain isn’t the quickest, nor the most agile, and neither is Lindelof. His partner should be making up in strength, what Maguire’s weaknesses would be, to ensure the side concedes as little as possible.

Pau Torres perfectly fits the bill and is someone that the club should definitely take a close look at as the window opens as the Spaniard offers pace, agility and defensive awareness which would also allow Maguire to move to his more favoured right side of defence, as Solskjaer is eager to add a left-footed centre-back.

Lindelof has shown glimpses of being that partner to fit like a jigsaw alongside Maguire, but unfortunately, these glimpses aren’t consistent – leading to the conclusion it’s time for the Swede to step back and accept a rotational role within the side and allow a new, more tailored partner to slot in at the back.

Youth, Courage, Success

As made famous by Manchester United, nurturing and developing youth players from their days in the academy to the first team is one of the most important values held at Old Trafford. From Sir Matt Busby to Sir Alex Ferguson and now being practiced by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the Norwegian knows what the club stands for.

16 academy graduates including Mason Greenwood, Brandon Williams, Dean Henderson and Anthony Elanga have made their Manchester United debuts under Solskjaer, proving how much the youth system means to him after managing United’s reserve team from 2008-11.

After a bumpy start, Greenwood was undoubtedly the side’s best player for the remaining six weeks of the season, impressing on the biggest stage at just 19-years-old.

As pictured above in Manchester United’s 2-1 loss at home to Leicester last month, Amad Diallo’s assist to Greenwood was the first time two teenagers have combined for a Premier League goal since 2006, when Middlesbrough duo David Wheater and Adam Johnson did the same against Bolton.

The Bradford-born teenager’s seven league goals meant that no teenager had scored more across Europe’s top five leagues, alongside his strike against Leicester tallying his eighth in his last 11 appearances at the time.

One for the future, 18-year-old Diallo joined the Red Devils from Atalanta in January 2021 for a fee of €40 million including bonuses; going on to appear in the club’s under-23 side before being promoted to the first team.

Amad’s first goal for the club came on March 11th, heading in the opening goal against AC Milan in a Europa League round of 16 tie just minutes after coming off the bench.

An injury to Anthony Martial at half-time meant that the Ivorian got his chance, reminiscent of a similar Martial injury during United’s Europa League warmups in 2016 against FC Midtjylland which handed an 18-year-old Marcus Rashford his debut – and we all know the events that followed.

24-year-old Dean Henderson has locked horns with United legend David de Gea throughout the season, battling for the elusive number one spot at Old Trafford and proving his worth against the very best.

Henderson looks to be United’s permanent number one moving forward, which could see the departure of de Gea after nine years and four major honours won. An England call-up for the number 26 to this summer’s Euro 2020 tournament will give him an even bigger opportunity to show Solskjaer and his coaching staff why he deserves to cement his place between the sticks.

Anthony Elanga earned his first Man of the Match award for his goalscoring performance in a 2-1 win at Wolves on the final day of the Premier League season, in a game where Solskjaer put all of his faith in his youth talent to preserve the team’s unbeaten away record.

Many managers would have shied away from taking the risk with a youthful lineup to preserve a prestigious record, albeit a dead rubber game, but the Norweigan showed once again he understands the morals and values that Manchester United carry to a tee.

What’s next?

Manchester United’s lineup for the new season isn’t expected to be fully known until after the Euro 2020 tournament, but many are anticipating a net spend of £150m for the Red Devils as they look to take the Premier League title challenge directly to Manchester City.

There are, of course, nailed on positions that United don’t need to worry about such as left-back where Luke Shaw has enjoyed the most impressive season of his career; winning the Players’ Player of the Year award alongside two consecutive Player of the Month awards in February and March respectively.

The single role to be replaced in defence looks to be that of Victor Lindelof’s, with the club happy with Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka but may look to strengthen their depth at right-back with targets such as Kieran Trippier and Max Aarons being discussed.

Scott McTominay and Fred’s midfield partnership proved both reliable and sturdy throughout, however, the club has expressed interest in West Ham’s Declan Rice and may attempt to acquire a natural holding midfielder – which neither McTominay nor Fred are.

Bruno Fernandes is imaginably the first name on Solskjaer’s team sheet every week, and won’t have anyone breathing down his neck for the foreseeable future.

Paul Pogba has been readily enjoying the advanced left-wing role given to him, but his future at Old Trafford remains unclear as he approaches the final year of his contract at the club. While Marcus Rashford usually adopts this left-wing position, he’s been shifted on to an uncomfortable right-sided spot which doesn’t appear to be long term.

Mason Greenwood is more than capable of doing a solid job on the right-wing but would be better suited to a backup role behind Cavani at the number nine position, where he played for most of his youth career and is most useful.

Long-time target Jadon Sancho is certainly on the books this summer and appears to be far more attainable this time around with Dortmund lowering their asking price to around €80 million, looking like the perfect man to fill the right-wing void.

Solskjaer, a long-time admirer of the 21-year-old winger feels Sancho would fit into his system perfectly; a move for the Englishman has all the attributes to be a big step in United’s leap to catch their noisy neighbours after years of separation.

Edinson Cavani will head into the season leading United’s line, and attempting to replicate exactly what he did in his first season but his position is not 100% safe – with the club continuing to monitor Erling Haaland and Harry Kane’s situations at their respective clubs despite moves for either being unlikely this summer.

As always, a club like Manchester United will never have a problem attracting the world’s best talent, but they must make sure this time that they make smart buys – not those who simply clog up the wage bill and prevent strengthening in other areas that need urgently addressed.