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Saturday presented many familiar failings for United in 2024/25 so far, but the seeds for the indifferent start were sowed in the summer when the changes at executive level were made on mass.
With Paul Mitchell unable to execute his vision or not in position long enough to do so, the PSR scramble that resulted in us selling two top prospects in Anderson and Minteh, and the Marc Guehi debacle, the squad has been left woefully short of quality and depth in the key positions of centre back, right winger and striker.
In the face of Brighton, Villa, Chelsea, and Spurs (also Bournemouth, Fulham and Forest) all strengthening their squads, United have stood still and appear to be going backwards in the face of such strength throughout the league. Arsenal’s result against Bournemouth on Saturday is a show of just what the Premier League is all about.
The gaffer has been completely let down by those above him, but he must find a way to get results on the pitch. If he doesn’t then (especially with Chelsea (twice), Arsenal and Forest to come before the next international break) I would worry about his position if the unthinkable happens and we get nothing from the next three league games and get knocked out of the League Cup.
Callum Wilson continues to be unavailable through injury and United cannot afford to carry a player so injury prone in the squad, yet we took that risk by failing to sign a proven replacement for the 32-year-old, who is yet to play this season and out of contract next summer.
If it felt like this area of the squad was neglected over the summer, it sadly gets even more frustrating when you look at the right wing. We know Jacob Murphy and Miguel Almiron can be decent squad players, but we’ve been crying out for a top quality right-winger for years now and can’t expect to mount a serious top-four finish if we aren’t addressing the clear weaknesses in our side while our other European rivals invest and improve.
Sven Botman’s injury has been…
Source link : https://www.nufcblog.co.uk/2024/10/24/summer-chaos-comes-back-to-bite-newcastle-united/
Author : Jonathan Young
Publish date : 2024-10-24 17:55:33
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