Three positions Manchester United need to strengthen in upcoming summer transfer window

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Bengaluru, June 9: Manchester United seem to have finally turned a corner with the recent showings under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer however they still appear outsiders to go on and win the crown behind the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea or Liverpool considering the squad strength.

The Red Devils have made steady progress in 2020-21 however still were short of any silverware after finishing second in the league table and losing the Europa League final. It is quite evident now that the right recruitment and additions will be needed once more to challenge major silverware in the next couple of years.

How United compete on both domestic and Champions League fronts next season will depend largely on how they act during the summer transfer window and here are the three positions that need strengthening:

Centre-back

Manchester United skipper Harry Maguire has been a star presence in the backline, immediately improving the backline for the last two seasons. However, there's no doubt his performance has been limited by the inconsistencies of either Victor Lindelof or Eric Bailly. Lindelof has been pretty limited during the set-pieces while Bailly's injury problems mean that he isn’t a reliable enough player. United's defensive record isn't great this season which can be highlighted by their persistent weakness at the set-piece. It's an obvious area of improvement and they seem to be working on it. Jules Kounde from Sevilla, Villareal's Pau Torres and Real Madrid's Raphael Varane all have been linked with them.

Right Wing

Of the current squad, Marcus Rashford, Juan Mata, Mason Greenwood and Daniel James have all been tried there in recent seasons, but none seem to have the requisite skills to thrive as a specialist right-winger. Most of their attacks come through their left-wing and if a team holds them on that wing they seem to be blunt going forward. The Red Devils definitely need an accomplished name in the right to stretch the attack further and they seem to be working mostly on it. Jadon Sancho has again been linked with them after they missed out on him last year.

Defensive Midfield

Manchester United only have one true defensive midfielder at the club with Nemanja Matic but appears to have passed his prime. The Red Devils mostly fielded the double pivot of Fred and Mctominay at the central midfield. Although they have done decently well but have lacked consistency. Moreover, they cannot seem to operate without each other, which disturbs the team dynamics. United need a long-term replacement in that regard and recently have been linked with West Ham's Declan Rice and Getafe's Mauro Arambarri.