First Impressions

The transfer window is always an exciting time in the footballing calendar. As a United fan, it’s been an interesting window, with the usual masses of money spent trying to get United back once again to where they belong. So, this week, the plan is to grade each of United’s summer signings and see how I think they’ll fare this season and the rest of their United careers.

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Tyrell Malacia: 9/10

Call me a bad United fan, but I hadn’t heard of Malacia before he joined. From the first few games, he looks like a United player. We’ve been crying out for someone tenacious at left-back for so long. Alex Telles hasn’t done the job since he signed, and Luke Shaw has had one good season in eight years. Watching Malacia against Liverpool, he did as good a job as anyone could have marking Salah, despite the Egyptian scoring. Even as we were getting battered by Brentford, when he came on, he was the only one who showed any fight. He’s got bundles of energy and always plays with a sense of urgency and purpose. He’s fully cemented him as our starting left-back and if he keeps us his good start, he’s set to have a good campaign.

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Christian Eriksen: 7/10

Given he signed for free, I can’t be too critical of this signing. Eriksen has undoubtedly got quality and he’s proven in this league. People didn’t think he was going to kick a ball again after he collapsed at Euro 2020, but he had a great 6-month spell at Brentford, showing the footballing world he’s still got something left in the tank. Do I think he’s the solution to our midfield? Not really. I think he’s almost a stopgap for another midfielder, someone that can do a decent job for a year or so and then potentially be moved on. When I think of our ideal midfield, one thing it needs is dynamism, something which Eriksen doesn’t really possess. Good player, but not a game-changer at this stage of his career.

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Lisandro Martinez: 7/10

I was one of those United fans that may have judged this guy too quickly after the Brighton and Brentford games. Since then, he’s been top drawer. He’s good on the ball, strong in the tackle and can pick out a pass. The fact that he’s a lefty also helps cos having Maguire in that channel for another season makes me shudder. I think against teams that don’t have a tall, strong number 9; he’ll do just fine. It’s those games where he’ll face a Haaland, or a Núñez or a Kane that he might get found out. No disrespect to Welbeck or Toney, but if you’re getting dominated by these two, good luck with those other three strikers. If he is playing alongside Varane, it may not be as much of an issue, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

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Casemiro: 8/10

If this was three or four years ago, I would have given this a 10/10. Casemiro is an elite defensive midfielder, one of the world’s best. He’s the sort of player that United fans have been demanding for God knows how long If you think of all the qualities that make a top-tier holding midfielder, he’s got everything. He’s also a serial winner. I mean what hasn’t this guy won: La Liga, Champions League, Copa Del Rey, UEFA Super Cup. You name it, he’s won it. You’re probably thinking, why on earth have I rated this move an 8 out of 10? In one word: desperation. As good as he is, this was a desperate signing. Why didn’t we try get him earlier instead of playing cat and mouse with Frenkie De Jong? One thing that can’t be ignored is playing with the likes of Fred and McTominay is a completely different kettle of fish compared to having Modric and Kroos next to you. It’ll be interesting to see how long it takes him to make that adjustment.

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Antony: 8/10

I saw a compilation of Antony’s best moments, and someone said that he’s basically Jeremy Lynch. If you don’t know, he’s a football freestyler who believed his own hype but was really all flicks and tricks with no real substance. Now Antony is not Jeremy Lynch, but he does like a skill or two. He never managed double figures in Holland which is a little concerning. He’s been bought for big money, £85m. For someone that is still relatively unproven, it’s a bit of a gamble. The thing I like most about him is his directness. His first instinct is to run at defenders, which is something that United’s wingers normally shy away from. United are also in desperate need of a left footed attacker to play on the right side of the front three and with his combination of pace, skill and intensity, he could make that position his own.

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Martin Dúbravka: 6/10

I’m finding it hard to say much about this signing. It sort of speaks for itself. He’ll be our back-up goalie, who will probably play in the cup competitions and that’s about it. With Dean Henderson at Forest, United need an extra keeper and he’ll do a decent enough job. The deal is a loan with an obligation to buy depending on appearances, so it’s not like it’s costing United a fortune. The only thing of note really is that Dúbravka has been in the league for a while so he should be able to hit the ground running straight away. Not much else to add really.

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This Week’s Hot Take

With all the spending this summer, United either need to make the top 4, or win the Europa League it to be classed as a good season. I’ve said that it will take a couple of years for Ten Haag to really stamp his authority on this United team and even with the amount that has been spent I still believe that. However, there is more pressure on him after all these signings than before. He’s been backed by the owners and so it will be a test for him to be able to get the best of out his players and have them being competitive in the next nine months.