By spending massive cash on a brand new goalkeeper and striker, Manchester United regarded to have addressed the primary weaknesses in its squad and laid the foundations for a possible title bid within the English Premier League.

There’s nonetheless, nonetheless, a lot extra to repair at an enormous membership seemingly caught in impartial whereas negotiations over a doable sale transfer alongside at glacial tempo.

On the sector, United has made a sluggish begin to the season, with an underwhelming 1-0 house win over Wolverhampton adopted by a 2-0 loss at Tottenham.

The trumpeted arrival of ball-playing goalkeeper Andre Onana from Inter Milan and younger striker Rasmus Højlund from Atalanta - at a mixed price of round $140 million - will take time to have an impact. Indeed, Højlund has but to even start full coaching with the squad after arriving with an damage.

Then there’s the third offseason signing, Mason Mount, who has slotted in as one in all two No. 8s alongside Bruno Fernandes, forward of holding midfielder Casemiro. The new midfield set-up has regarded imbalanced to this point and is a piece in progress, with that transition going through a delay since Mount picked up an damage that may rule him out for as much as six weeks.

Delays. Ah, United supervisor Erik ten Hag is used to them.

PHOTOS: Man United hampered by lack of progress on potential sale amid sluggish begin to EPL

After all, he’ll have absolutely hoped by now for some motion on - maybe a conclusion to - the sale of the membership to Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani or British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe.

That might need given Ten Hag and United’s recruitment group extra money to spend within the switch window. Could Højlund have been Harry Kane, for instance? Could Declan Rice have come to United as an alternative of Arsenal?

Instead, a summer season of paralysis. There’s eight days to go earlier than the window shuts and United may not add one other participant to the squad, regardless of frequent hypothesis - as there all the time is with United - about incomings.

For the second, Ten Hag can solely concentrate on Nottingham Forest within the league at Old Trafford on Saturday. In concept, it seems to be like a house banker, with Forest one of many worst groups on the highway final season.

However, Forest didn’t roll over when it was shedding at Arsenal 2-1 on the opening weekend of this season, and United has been removed from convincing to this point.

Marcus Rashford has been deployed as a central striker whereas Højlund regains health and he seems to be misplaced there, preferring to be beginning on the left wing. There stays a query mark concerning the effectiveness and output of Antony on the appropriate wing and the identical factor may be stated about Jadon Sancho, who has been a letdown since becoming a member of from Borussia Dortmund two years in the past.

In central midfield, will there be sufficient vitality when, as is probably going, Christian Eriksen joins Fernandes and Casemiro within the absence of Mount?

“There’s always going to be criticism when you play at this level and especially at this club,” United defender Victor Lindelof stated. “We wish to play on the highest commonplace and supporters watching us count on that from us.

“We’ve just got to step it up and perform better.”

A win in opposition to Forest may paper over the cracks forward of harder assignments in opposition to Arsenal and Brighton both aspect of the worldwide break. Then there’s the beginning of the group stage of the Champions League, which can actually take a look at the energy of United’s squad.

In a switch window when Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and City have been spending massive, United has once more lagged behind. Spending $82 million on Højlund doesn’t come with out its dangers, too - he's 20 years of age, scored 10 objectives in all competitions in his one season at Atalanta and has performed fewer than 100 senior video games.

It’s early days but it surely appears Ten Hag already has his work reduce out to make his second season at United a profitable one.

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