Manchester United unlikely to make January signings

Manchester United chief executive Ed Woodward has stated there is a low probability of the Red Devils making big signings in January

Manchester United chief executive Ed Woodward has revealed that it is unlikely that the Red Devils will make any significant moves in the transfer market in January.

The quarterly financial figures were released yesterday and it was not good news for United.

The clubs revenue fell by £9.9million compared to this time last year.

The club did record a profit of 8.9million, despite the fact that the income from the first three months of the year dropped by £9.8million to £88.7million.

Champions League

The lack of Champions League football will obviously have a financial effect on the club. The United broadcasting rights have fallen by 13% and the match day revenue has fallen by 21.8%, which is the likely shortfall from the lack of Champions League football.

Unlikely

It seems the slight financial loss and the heavy summer spending means that United will not be heavily spending in the January transfer window. When asked if his club would strengthen their squad in January, Woodward said: “We are not looking to enter the market for short-term fixes,”

“However we have targets we are looking at for next summer and should any of those become available in January we would consider acting but we all need to recognise that is a low probability.”

Arrivals

Manchester United spent big money in the summer bringing in the likes of Angel Di Maria, Daley Blind, Marcos Rojo, Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw. Even the loan signing of Radamel Falcao from Monaco cost United a reported fee of £6million.

The squad was in desperate need of improvement and Dutch boss Louis van Gaal was not scared to spend the available cash. On the whole the United recruitment drive seems to have gone relatively well.

However, a number of those signings have experienced injury problems so far since their arrivals. Shaw, Herrera and Blind among others have spent time on the sidelines through injury.

Building

Louis van Gaal’s team is still very much a work in progress. The Red Devils are currently seventh in the Premier League table, 13 points behind league leaders Chelsea, but just two points away from fourth place West Ham.

Rome wasn’t built in a day and Van Gaal will not be able to rebuild the United squad in a day either, it may take a few seasons for the Red Devils to get back to challenging for the Premier League title and no doubt more spending on the team.

Winning Premier League titles does not come cheap and quality players cost a lot of money in the current transfer market. No doubt United are still miles behind Chelsea in terms of quality, despite their late 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.

Defence

The Manchester United defence still seems badly in need of reinforcements. Argentinian Marcos Rojo has made a promising start to his United career, but the centre-back is currently out injured with a shoulder injury.

Fellow defenders Rafael, Jonny Evans and Phil Jones are also struggling with injury problems. It seems impossible for senior centre-backs to stay fit at United. The Red Devils may have spent big in the summer, but I still do not believe they have been able to find replacements for Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand.

Both veterans experienced dips in form and injury problems towards the end of their United careers. However, when they were at their peak they were arguably the best centre-back partnership in European football.

United have been linked with a big money move for Dortmund and Germany star Mats Hummels, with Arsenal believed to be rivalling the Red Devils for the highly-rated centre-back. It seems that a January move for Hummels from United now looks unlikely.

Priority

The priority for Manchester United this season has to be to qualify for the Champions League. Qualification for Europe’s elite competition once again will mean extra revenue and a cash windfall which United has become so accustomed to over the last two decades.

With some of their rivals for Champions League spots struggling, even without January signings the Red Devils have a very good chance of making those top four places in the Premier League, which would come as an enormous relief to everybody connected with United.

Does United need January reinforcements to make the top four?