Will Manchester United recapture former glories next season?
Dedicated to the famous Treble-winning campaign of 1998/99, our new #MUmuseum exhibition is now open! 🏆🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/z7XuYGoZPD
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) May 3, 2019
Despite another season without a major trophy, there have been signs of definite progress at Old Trafford. There has been a second successive season of qualifying for the Champions League alongside many players showing continuing improvement. Can they build on these improvements next season?
Football taught by Matt Busby
Young players have played a big part in the history of Manchester United. The Busby Babes and the class of 92 are icons of the club. Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood are both recent graduates of the United academy, and they will be hoping to have a career similar to Bobby Charlton, George Best, or Paul Scholes.
Greenwood could even be a decent bet for PFA Young Player of the Year in 2021-22, potentially following in the footsteps of many former United legends who have won that award.
The impact of Jadon Sancho and a successful transfer window
If United strengthen in a few positions, many punters might see them as a decent bet for success next season. Individual awards will also attract some attention from bettors. For example, will new signing Jadon Sancho pick up the most assists? This was an award picked up by Harry Kane during the most recent Premier League season. With this in mind, it is a good idea to do some research about which ways to bet. For example, sites like winners.net compare the most popular betting sites online and provide information on bonuses, features, and available markets so that bettors can choose a bookmaker they can trust.
Manchester United have spent large amounts of money on big-name players in recent years. Though, few fans would argue that very few (if any) were successful.
Back in 2019, the United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer spoke about the club’s cultural reboot. This has had an impact on the transfer policy. A key element of the club’s cultural reboot has been signing younger players, such as Daniel James, who fit into a certain way of playing alongside the more experienced names of Bruno Fernandes and Edinson Cavani.
Calming fan protests and anger
The end of United’s last season was marred by protests against the Glazer ownership of the club and their involvement in the Super League debacle. The peak of these protests saw fans storming the pitch, resulting in a league match against Liverpool being postponed.
Protests against the Glazer family first started back in 2004, a few months before they bought the club. This continued over the subsequent few months. Some elements of United’s support did the unthinkable after the Glazer takeover and stopped going to Old Trafford. They argued that the takeover itself was the ‘final straw’ after becoming disillusioned with the overall running of the club.
Many of these fans eventually formed a new club, FC United of Manchester, which was formed a few weeks after the Glazer takeover and regularly attracts crowds of over 2,000.
Can they win the league for the first time since 2013?
They are currently among the favourites to win the Premier League next season. Becoming champions for the first time since 2013 would show that the re-shaping of United’s overall strategy has been a success.
It is expected to be close between many of the top clubs next season. Current champions Manchester City, alongside a resurgent Chelsea and a more determined Liverpool are all expected to challenge United for the title.
Will the 2021-22 season be the first title-winning campaign in the post-Fergie era? For the first time in a few years, United have a plan and, more importantly, are showing consistency. It’ll certainly be an interesting year at Old Trafford.
