- Man Utd signed four players last summer
- INEOS were under pressure to get recruitment right
- A new Red Devils trio is shining
Manchester United‘s recruitment has been a concern since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, but INEOS deserve credit for their business. There have been a few misses, such as spending £50m on Manuel Ugarte and misprofiling Joshua Zirkzee.
That said, there have been more hits and they were bang on the money with their spending last summer. Four players arrived at Old Trafford and all of them are important members of Michael Carrick’s first team.
There’s not much needed to say about Senne Lammens, who you could argue has been INEOS’ best acquisition. At just £18m, the Belgian goalkeeper has proven to be an absolute bargain.
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Man Utd trio highlight INEOS’ impact
Sporting director Jason Wilcox and director of recruitment Christopher Vivell were tasked with overhauling United’s frontline last summer. They got to work quickly, triggering the £62.5m release clause in Matheus Cunha’s contract with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
A lengthy pursuit then ensued as the Reds turned their attention to Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo. After months of negotiating, the club finally agreed to pay a £71m fee for the Cameroonian.
United then beat Newcastle United to the signing of RB Leipzig frontman Benjamin Sesko. A £74m fee raised eyebrows as the Slovenian opted for Old Trafford over St James’ Park.
The trio had their fair share of doubters but Cunha and Mbeumo quickly showed why they were so highly coveted. Sesko needed time to adapt to English football but exploded into red-hot form at the turn of the year.
Cunha and Mbeumo were on the scoresheet in Sunday’s 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest. This means United have become the only team to have three players to reach the 10-goal mark in the Premier League.
What’s even more impressive is that the trio’s double figures for league goals make them just the second front three to score 10+ goals in their first season at a club. Oliver Giroud, Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla all reached the milestone back in 2012-13.
A bright future
INEOS have taken pelters due to some of their decision-making since taking over the club’s sporting operations. Not least their handling of Erik ten Hag and his replacement, Ruben Amorim.
In the transfer market, they are getting it right, and even young arrivals are proving their worth. Just £1m secured Ayden Heaven from Arsenal, and he has shown world-class potential.
It bodes well heading into the summer transfer window, where they will be conducting a midfield rebuild. If they replicate last year’s business, it could take United towards challenging for the Premier League title.
