Manchester United lacked a lot of things in 2015-16, and they have certainly gone about addressing those issues this summer.
They were missing a manager who would not let them drop below the high standards usually demanded of Manchester United. Enter Jose Mourinho.
They didn’t have a defender who could read the play early and stamp his authority on opposition attacks with a dominant physical presence. In came Eric Bailly.
Despite some glimpses of quality in the forward line, they needed a true No.9 who could command the attention of multiple defenders and make valuable space elsewhere in the attacking third. Oh hello, Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
But what they perhaps lacked more than anything was an attacking threat from the upper midfield line. Somebody who could pick a pass through the last line of defence just as easily as he could glide past defenders on his countless forays forward. And that is why Henrikh Mkhitaryan could be United’s best signing yet this summer.
Borussia Dortmund announced on Saturday that the Armenian has joined United in a deal which rams home the Red Devils’ desire to put an end to the underachievement of the last three years. A sorry season under David Moyes and two unspectacular efforts by Louis van Gaal have helped to turn United into a shadow of their former selves, and nowhere was that more evident than in attacking midfield.
While Anthony Martial made a good fist of things playing from the left for much of the season, Juan Mata’s impact bounced between anonymous and adequate for the majority of the time on the right. Jesse Lingard had a great initial impact in the autumn but flattered to deceive for the most part, and Wayne Rooney never seemed 100 per cent no matter what position he was employed in.
Mkhitaryan has everything United have missed. He has the hunger to get beyond defenders, the vision to pick a pass, the belief in himself on the ball and the ability to back it up. As exciting attacking players go, he has everything that Memphis Depay promised but failed to deliver.
Few people in the modern game have his quality on either foot, and his innate knowledge of his team-mates positioning ensures that he is regularly one step ahead of the opposition defence. At 27, he should just be hitting his peak, and not since the days when Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes et al were at their marauding best have United boasted such energy in behind the main striker.
United’s PR department have had one of their less glorious spells over the last few days. Ibrahimovic’s Instagram message on Thursday beat them to the punch in announcing he was headed for Old Trafford, while on Friday a website gaffe saw new away kits advertised in the United online store with Mkhitaryan’s name on the back a full 24 hours before Dortmund admitted he had left them. And that comes hot on the heels of the clumsy way they pushed aside Louis van Gaal for Mourinho.
But as United fans take a look at their squad taking shape for 2016-17, few will care one jot about how things have made it into the public eye. Bailly was a good, solid addition. Ibrahimovic is the eye-catching mouthpiece and totem attacker who will make people sit up and take notice of United again. Yet Mkhitaryan is the signing which most exemplifies their drive for success.
Ibrahimovic’s unveiling on Friday was the big-name signing of the week, but Mkhitaryan’s capture is undoubtedly the big statement addition.
- Goal