How to fix Manchester United’s transfer situation: Bruno Fernandes analysis

Manchester United are pushing for a top-four finish but many believe Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will need to dip into the market if his side are to mount a serious charge during the second half of the season.

The Red Devils currently occupy fifth position but remain in hot pursuit of the highly-coveted Champions League qualification places, and are only five points adrift fourth-placed Chelsea. Solskjaer and Co took up an early residence in the top four but have not been able to break back into a position which became almost habitual under Sir Alex Ferguson since matchweek five. 

Signs of improvement have been intermittent across the campaign, but a lack of consistency and recurring injury problems have ultimately hampered Solskjaer’s ability to put together a squad capable of breaking the current top four hegemony.  

So, with the January window now open and in full swing, will the Norwegian coach seek out reinforcements to swell his ranks, while also providing him the necessary firepower to put pressure on Chelsea? Well, he should given the current state of his squad.  

Defence and central midfield have been the two major bones of contention among supporters this season, with Solskjaer having to contend with a number of long-term absentees. At the back, Axel Tuanzebe, Marcos Rojo, Luke Shaw, Eric Bailly and Timothy Fosu-Mensah are all currently sidelined, while in midfield Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba have been plagued by fitness problems this term.

As such, the Red Devils have been linked with a number of candidates to bring fresh impetus and alleviate certain holes in Solskjaer’s squad. The biggest among those is Sporting Lisbon’s Bruno Fernandes, who could add serious creativity and quality to a beleaguered midfield.

Elsewhere Leicester City’s James Maddison and Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish have all been mentioned in the same sentence as Fernandes, while names such as Boubakary Soumare have also been bandied about.

With that considered it’s certainly looking like an interesting few weeks are in store at Old Trafford – but how can the club fix their transfer situation?

Watch the video at the top of the article to see Statman Dave‘s analysis of Manchester United’s transfer situation.

Subscribe to Squawka’s Youtube channel here – we’re closing in on 100k subscribers!