Former Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen has revealed that Michael Carrick will have demanded three quality signings from the club hierarchy before accepting the managerial role for the upcoming campaign.
He told TEAMtalk: “Ignore the fact that United has been mismanaged over a number of years. Yes, there have been a few little trophies down recent years, but not of the calibre that you expect United to win. And that is exactly what the expectation will now be.
“Michael will know this, but I can tell you that is exactly the expectation that Michael would have anyway.”
“Michael’s response possibly would be okay, I’m happy to do that, but I need X, Y and Z to make this happen – three big signings who can really deliver. If you do that, I’m sure that I can challenge for the title next year, because that’s why I’m here. That’s why I’m carrying on…
“Michael will also know he needs the players to be doing well in the Champions League and compete on other trophy fronts as well.
“He will want to go full out and stay as long as he can in all competitions and then possibly win them. That’s probably his attitude, and it’s the right one as well.”
Carrick has been outstanding since taking over
Carrick has done an impressive job at Manchester United since taking over after the departure of Ruben Amorim. He has helped them pick up 11 wins from 16 matches, for a win rate of 68.75%. There is no doubt that he deserves the job permanently, and it will be interesting to see if he can help Manchester United scale higher next season and fight for major trophies.
Carrick has reportedly demanded 3 signings who can turn things around for Manchester United and Bridge the gap with top clubs. The report does not mention the players he is interested in, and it remains to be seen who they go for.
There is no doubt that they have quality players at their disposal, but they are not quite at the level required to compete with Arsenal or Manchester City. They need top-quality additions in the summer in order to bridge the gap with elite clubs.
Ideally, Manchester United should look to invest in another experienced striker who can share the goal-scoring burden with Benjamin Sesko. They will need to invest in a quality defensive midfielder to replace Casemiro. They should also look to invest in a quality left back, who will be a long-term replacement for Luke Shaw.
If they can bring in these three players in the summer, there is no reason why they cannot build on the foundations laid by Carrick in recent months and push for major trophies next year.