Manchester United might end the January transfer window stronger than they started it

With the clock ticking, Manchester United’s clash with Wolves at Molineux this evening could be a welcome distraction from the closing stages of the transfer window.

As clubs up and down the country run around in a frenzy trying to get those lastminute deals tied up, Carrington is expected to be a sea of calm this evening. United’s main focus in the closing stages of the midseason window will be scooping their first Premier League win of the season.

United’s clash with Wolves in the Black Country will kick off with a little under three hours to go until the window slams shut at 11pm. Manager Erik ten Hag will be fully focused on that and nothing else.

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As things stand, United are not expected to draft anyone in before the bell sounds, meaning Ten Hag will have to make do with what’s he got between now and the end of the season. The forthcoming summer window, regardless of what happens between now and then, is set to mark the juncture where a new chapter will open.

For most United fans, signing a striker has felt like a necessity over the past month. United have struggled for goals so far this season and Rasmus Hojlund, who arrived from Atalanta for an initial £64million in the summer, has only found the back of the net eight times thus far. Many felt he would have benefited from some additional support and competition.

Some United fans suggested the club, if the right player came along, should have gone down the route of trying to draft someone in on loan, similarly to the way they recruited Odion Ighalo in 2020 and Wout Weghorst last year. However, Ten Hag ruled out the likelihood of strengthening his attack last week.

“I looked but there is no space,” he said. “There is no space for FFP [Financial Fair Play] to do something about this lack of quantity in the striker position.”

United’s lack of depth at the top end of the pitch is a concern, certainly when the goals have been far from flowing. However, on the plus side, January was kind to United, in the sense they recovered a collection of key players from injury.

Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Casemiro all returned last month, with Martinez, Shaw and Casemiro all starting Sunday’s FA Cup win over Newport County. The trio were vitally important figures last season and they have been missed, not least Martinez.

READ MORE: How United should lineup vs Wolves

READ MORE: Why United are selling Isak HansenAaroen on transfer deadline day

The Argentine is the only member of United’s current pool of centrebacks who is 100 per cent guaranteed a place in Ten Hag’s longterm plans. Uncertainty currently surrounds the futures of Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof, Jonny Evans and Maguire.

Martinez is United’s best centreback, bringing ballplaying credentials and aggression levels that are unrivalled within the squad. He was a colossus last season up until suffering a seasonending injury in April.

Sidelined since September this campaign as a result of the injury reoccurring, he has been sorely missed. The same, too, can be said for Shaw, who returned against Newport after a month on the sidelines.

Though Shaw’s absence was not as lengthy as Martinez’s, his importance to the way United play will make him, like the Argentine, feel like a new signing. Between them, they form 50 per cent of United’s strongest backfour.

Casemiro, though his performances at the start of this season had regressed from the high standards he set last term, still offers United something different in midfield to that of his compatriots. His steel and grit to win the ball back could free up Kobbie Mainoo to become more adventurous between the thirds, allowing him to venture slightly further forward and express himself.

Whether he will remain at Old Trafford beyond the end of the summer transfer window remains to be seen for now, but he still possesses a wide range of qualities that Ten Hag and United should look to utilise. His defensive nous in the engine room has been missed, meaning he should, if he gets back to his best, offer the Reds an extra element of control.

Elsewhere in midfield, Mason Mount is closing in on a return after an injury of his own. His United career is yet to ignite, meaning he could be like a new signing once he gets back on his feet and, all being well, finds some form.

There is no doubt that United could have done with strengthening their forward line before tonight’s deadline, but it is not all doom and gloom. Ten Hag has pinned everything on United’s season improving once the injury list has eased, meaning now is the time for his players to repay him.

With the clock ticking, Manchester United’s clash with Wolves at Molineux this evening could be a welcome distraction from the closing stages of the transfer window.

As clubs up and down the country run around in a frenzy trying to get those lastminute deals tied up, Carrington is expected to be a sea of calm this evening. United’s main focus in the closing stages of the midseason window will be scooping their first Premier League win of the season.

United’s clash with Wolves in the Black Country will kick off with a little under three hours to go until the window slams shut at 11pm. Manager Erik ten Hag will be fully focused on that and nothing else.

Try MUFC Pro for a frontrow seat to the action at absolutely no cost for a limited time only. You can get started by downloading our app here on iPhone, or here on Android. If you already have our app, click on the ”MUFC Pro’,’ Subscribe’ or ‘Remove ads’ links.

As things stand, United are not expected to draft anyone in before the bell sounds, meaning Ten Hag will have to make do with what’s he got between now and the end of the season. The forthcoming summer window, regardless of what happens between now and then, is set to mark the juncture where a new chapter will open.

For most United fans, signing a striker has felt like a necessity over the past month. United have struggled for goals so far this season and Rasmus Hojlund, who arrived from Atalanta for an initial £64million in the summer, has only found the back of the net eight times thus far. Many felt he would have benefited from some additional support and competition.

Some United fans suggested the club, if the right player came along, should have gone down the route of trying to draft someone in on loan, similarly to the way they recruited Odion Ighalo in 2020 and Wout Weghorst last year. However, Ten Hag ruled out the likelihood of strengthening his attack last week.

“I looked but there is no space,” he said. “There is no space for FFP [Financial Fair Play] to do something about this lack of quantity in the striker position.”

United’s lack of depth at the top end of the pitch is a concern, certainly when the goals have been far from flowing. However, on the plus side, January was kind to United, in the sense they recovered a collection of key players from injury.

Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Casemiro all returned last month, with Martinez, Shaw and Casemiro all starting Sunday’s FA Cup win over Newport County. The trio were vitally important figures last season and they have been missed, not least Martinez.

READ MORE: How United should lineup vs Wolves

READ MORE: Why United are selling Isak HansenAaroen on transfer deadline day

The Argentine is the only member of United’s current pool of centrebacks who is 100 per cent guaranteed a place in Ten Hag’s longterm plans. Uncertainty currently surrounds the futures of Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof, Jonny Evans and Maguire.

Martinez is United’s best centreback, bringing ballplaying credentials and aggression levels that are unrivalled within the squad. He was a colossus last season up until suffering a seasonending injury in April.

Sidelined since September this campaign as a result of the injury reoccurring, he has been sorely missed. The same, too, can be said for Shaw, who returned against Newport after a month on the sidelines.

Though Shaw’s absence was not as lengthy as Martinez’s, his importance to the way United play will make him, like the Argentine, feel like a new signing. Between them, they form 50 per cent of United’s strongest backfour.

Casemiro, though his performances at the start of this season had regressed from the high standards he set last term, still offers United something different in midfield to that of his compatriots. His steel and grit to win the ball back could free up Kobbie Mainoo to become more adventurous between the thirds, allowing him to venture slightly further forward and express himself.

Whether he will remain at Old Trafford beyond the end of the summer transfer window remains to be seen for now, but he still possesses a wide range of qualities that Ten Hag and United should look to utilise. His defensive nous in the engine room has been missed, meaning he should, if he gets back to his best, offer the Reds an extra element of control.

Elsewhere in midfield, Mason Mount is closing in on a return after an injury of his own. His United career is yet to ignite, meaning he could be like a new signing once he gets back on his feet and, all being well, finds some form.

There is no doubt that United could have done with strengthening their forward line before tonight’s deadline, but it is not all doom and gloom. Ten Hag has pinned everything on United’s season improving once the injury list has eased, meaning now is the time for his players to repay him.