Pogba’s arrival signals a shift in Manchester United’s mentality
United finally got their man. Well, got him back. And many fans are rightly beginning to feel pretty darn positive about not only the upcoming season, but also the direction the club at last appears to be heading in.
When Angel Di Maria was unveiled as the marquee summer signing two years ago, many supporters understandably thought the Van Gaal era would mark an entirely new direction for the Red Devils. And they weren’t wrong- it just wasn’t the direction they were expecting.
Expensive, creative signings have been a rarity for Man United fans over the past few decades, as Sir Alex Ferguson preferred his homegrown and nurtured talent (see: Class of ’92, Cristiano Ronaldo) to splashing the cash. He famously said there’s no value in the transfer market, and his most expensive creative signings were the likes of Robin Van Persie (£24 million), Dimitar Berbatov (£30 million), and Nani (£17 million). While each were perfectly respectable purchases, they were far from the cream of the crop of world football.
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The years continued without United. Arsenal picked up the likes of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, Chelsea brought in Fabregas and Hazard, and Manchester City bought an entire team.
Handed a squad of old stars, deadwood players and young potential, David Moyes was no better in the off-season. While Gareth Bale packed up and headed for Spain, the new United manager managed to score the signature of… Marouane Fellaini. Suffice to say- despite transfer window links with the likes of Sneijder, Neymar, and the still missed Ronaldo- it’s been a long time since Manchester United landed a true superstar.
The arrival of Van Gaal, and subsequently Di Maria, appeared to signal a shift in the club’s mentality. Manchester United pulled a bona fide Galactico after he was relegated from a starting spot at Real Madrid by the newer, shinier James Rodriguez. By anyone’s reckoning, Di Maria seemed a brilliant signing that nobody could have predicted.
We all know how that played out. Di Maria was a red herring of change who left after a year, and Van Gaal spent the rest of his time fattening United’s squad with more ageing stars (Bastian Schweinsteiger), deadwood (Marcos Rojo), and unproven youngsters (Memphis Depay). LVG’s time at the helm simply compounded the slumping image that United were gradually becoming associated with.
After three years of being unable to beat the biggest, richest clubs, United finally appear to have decided to rejoin them. The appointment of Jose Mourinho, and the blank cheque book being placed in his hands, signal an intent to meet the heavyweights at the point to which the game has now moved and, ultimately, to reclaim the team’s spot as a global superpower.
Understandably, United’s appointment of one of the most divisive managers in the game was met with divided public opinion. Largely, it seemed, because of doubts about his long term capabilities. But the days of the generational manager are gone. Arsene Wenger is the lone survivor, and you wouldn’t imagine he’ll be around for that much longer. Mourinho may not be known for his dynastic capabilities, but he’ll be able to compete in the modern game with the likes of Pep, Klopp, Conte, and Ranieri, not to mention Koeman, Bilic, and Pochettino. With Mourinho and his signings, United have brought in ambition and a proven system of achievement.
United have brought in ambition and a proven system of achievement
In 2016, there’s no shame in a club spending exorbitant amounts of money to win championships. Real Madrid can’t go a summer without throwing money at world football’s current hottest star. Barcelona signed Neymar (£71.5 million) and Suarez (£65 million) in consecutive years. And Paris Saint Germain don’t seem ashamed to be making the Champion’s League knockout stages every year thanks to their Qatari owners. Manchester City are busy locking up all the hottest young talent in Manchester (with the exception of one Marcus Rashford) thanks to their shiny new youth academy, and Manchester United needed a serious 21st Century overhaul to avoid turning into a pre-Klopp Liverpool. By contrast, where there certainly is shame is in paying your squad a collective £203 million and failing to make the Champion’s League.
In previous years, the signing of any one of Eric Bailly, Henrikh Mkhiktaryan, or Zlatan Ibrahimovic would have been considered an incredible transfer window by the United fanbase. The addition of all three followed by a world record transfer fee for Pogba is frankly unbelievable by any club’s standard.
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Pogba is a superstar equal to United’s history of success. His purchase has instantly reasserted Manchester United as a global superpower and a title contender. Mourinho and the board deserve credit already for wresting the team from several seasons of mediocrity and making it an attractive place for stars to play once more. In what is shaping up to be one of the biggest, most evenly matched Premier League seasons in history, United may actually have made themselves the prime contenders.