Manchester United will be going in search of their first Premier League victory of the season when they welcome Liverpool to Old Trafford on Monday evening.
United, who were hammered 5-0 by the Merseysiders on their own patch last season, will be determined to get their first points on the board after Saturday's humiliating 4-0 defeat at the hands of Brentford. Erik ten Hag's side were bullied and beaten up by the Bees, leaving them bottom of the Premier League table after the first two rounds of fixtures.
Although we are only two games into the season, there is already plenty of concern circling around Old Trafford, with supporters worried about what could happen if the club does not make the most of the remainder of the transfer window. There are two weeks to go until the window closes and United are in desperate need for fresh blood.
READ MORE: Erik ten Hag considering dropping Harry Maguire for Liverpool clash
United are exploring several avenues and remain determined to give Ten Hag the tools he needs to ensure his first season in charge is a success. On Wednesday, MEN Sport's chief United writer, Samuel Luckhurst, hosted a Q&A in an attempt to try and answer as many questions as possible that United's supporters had, ranging from questions on future additions, the Glazers' ownership of the club and Frenkie de Jong.
Q: Do you think the Glazers will put Manchester United up for sale in the near future?
SL: Some think it will have to happen sooner rather than later. The pledges to sufficiently strengthen the squad, redevelop the stadium and enhance the training ground; the Glazers do not have the cash flow to afford it. Every year, one of the aforementioned three issues takes prominence or, in this year's case, none at all given the amateurish antics in the window.
This is the frustration for United supporters - their standards are not being met at any level. If you look at Tottenham Hotspur, Daniel Levy has made decisions there that have undeniably held the club back, whether it's going a window without strengthening the squad or dragging out [Dimitar] Berbatov to get as big a fee as possible and then not adequately replacing him.
But the training complex and stadium were phase one and phase two of Spurs's plan to become a genuine force in the game and they are world-class. Spurs have taken some hits on the pitch during that process and there is a loser's mentality at the club that means all they've got to show for the last 30 years are two League Cups.
But look at the squad and coach they have now. It was less than 12 months ago that Spurs fans were calling for Levy to go as United beat them 3-0. Nuno Espirito Santo was sacked two days later and Conte came in. That's a chairman holding their hands up and rectifying his mistake. That doesn't happen at United, who didn't have the guts to sack [Ole Gunnar] Solskjaer sooner or hire [Mauricio] Pochettino in 2019 or 2020, or [Antonio] Conte last year.
Q: What is happening at Man United? It's a complete mess, a laughing stock.
SL: You could write a book on this summer alone. The club have come full circle (again) because this window is so similar to the [David] Moyes summer, only it's worse. There is a lack of leadership from top to bottom and just about everyone is complicit.
The players showed last season they are not good enough. They do not have the right mentality, they cannot handle the pressure and they are never going to meet expectations. Yet the squad has not changed anywhere near enough. United haven't sold anyone from that squad.
So the manager has been saddled with too many duds but he's in Ajax mode, thinking you can go to Brentford without a defensive midfielder and playing Total Football. Someone at United should've told Ten Hag they intended on sending Amad on loan to the Eredivisie for his development. He then ended up in Scotland and couldn't hack it there. Ten Hag has got to get the Dutchcentric approach out of his system.
Q: Will United's recruitment ever get better? It's been a horrific window so far and the targets that have been reported show no signs of a plan.
SL: Unless they change personnel, I doubt it.
Q: Would you say that Frenkie De Jong is surely out of the picture? Or, would there be a case wherein Barca try and force him out, would there be a chance we swoop in?
SL: It's been 98 days since they contacted Barca about De Jong. United are more certain of a century than an England batsman, watching this collapse at Lord's.
I think there could be movement with De Jong as the deadline looms but would not necessarily have United down as favourites to get him now. All the red flags around that deal have been replaced by blaring alarm bells. United is the club where careers go to die and De Jong is only 25.
Q: Do we have a scouting unit as of today? It feels like we're all over the place. Have there been any changes due to Ten Hag?
SL: A lot of scouts have gone but the department's purpose for most of this summer has been redundant because the criteria has essentially been:
Do you play for Ajax?
Do you play in Holland?
Did you play for Ajax?
Did you play in Holland?
Q: Have you heard anything on who the club are targeting to contend with David De Gea?
SL: The provisional plan at the start of the summer was for Tom Heaton to be No.2. I cannot see United spending big on a goalie this summer but next summer they have a decision to make due to De Gea's contract situation. Either he or Henderson have to go permanently.
Q: There have been reports of Joel Glazer's interference in transfer matters & you have reported today that John Murtough is under pressure. Where do you think the blame for this summer's mess lies? Is Richard Arnold supporting Murtough or they are not on the same page? And lastly, do you think there's any chances of change at the top after the window is over?
SL: Arnold's empowered Murtough to execute deals and he is struggling to do that. He will have to be judged at the end of the window but it would be remarkable if he somehow salvaged it with 15 days left.
The blame is across the board: the owners are a hindrance, the scouting department have been clueless at times, the football director seems to be in over his head and the manager has been naive in targeting Dutch-affiliated players and thinking De Jong was a relatively routine deal.
The mess includes the games and too many of these players are not up to it. De Gea is struggling to adapt, [Harry] Maguire is struggling to lead, [Luke] Shaw is struggling to run, the midfielders are struggling for confidence and the forwards are struggling for consistency.
Q: Who was behind Rangnick's departure, Murtough or Ten Hag?
SL: Ten Hag and Rangnick were not on the same page regarding the recruitment strategy and, as a consequence, it was decided to end the consultancy contract before it became active.
Q: If you were to predict how many signings United will make before the end of the window, what would you say?
SL: I'll go with two but deadline day is going to be draining - and United play that night. The more wouldn't necessarily mean the merrier, too. Deadline day 2020: [Edinson] Cavani, [Alex] Telles, [Facundo] Pellistri and Amad were signed. All four are in the red for me, if we're going off Gary Neville's traffic-light system.
Q: Is it as chaotic within the club as it seems from the outside? Looks like we have all the hallmarks of a team doomed for relegation. No club is too big to go down...
SL: What's made this spiral so spectacular is pre-season was positive on the tour. Obviously, there is massive mitigation around the results but the training was intense, structured and impressive and the mood among the players was better as well. Put them in a competitive environment and look at how they wilt.
Ultimately, the hierarchy is responsible for incomings and outgoings and there have not been anywhere near enough of either.
Q: Why is the club so reluctant to sign an out-and-out defensive-midfielder, until Casemiro was mentioned now? Even Pep Guardiola realised that he needed a strong, physical DM (Rodri). Liverpool have Fabinho. Why have United left this gaping hole since Michael Carrick retired? Nemanja Matic was the only one that came close - and we played our best football with him until his legs were gone.
SL: Because De Jong favours control and thought he could get away without using one because he could do in Holland. It's absolutely extraordinary nobody told him he was wrong and he's had a rude awakening.
Carrick wasn't a defensive midfielder, necessarily. What's extraordinary is United haven't signed an out-and-out central midfielder since Fred in 2018. Donny van de Beek was seen as more of a playmaker/attacking midfielder.
Q: What is the most effective thing fans can do to help ensure the Glazers sell to new owners who can get us back on track?
SL: I've always said hit them where it hurts the most: their wallets.
Q: I want to ask you what you think about player power at the club ? This club give us promises and nothing changes. Certain players never gets dropped.
SL: The majority of the players aren't good enough, which was confirmed last season. That's a major failing of the running of the club: the evidence submitted last season was so damning and they have done next to nothing about improving the squad.
Imagine if those six players' contracts didn't run out. They'd probably all still be coining it in. Rangnick was an objective troubleshooter and recruitment specialist who gave a cogent analysis of the state of the squad and they have ignored him. More fool them.
Q: Do you think that the signing philosophy of players to rebuild the team for the next five to ten years has gone out of the window now that desperation has set in? Players we're being linked with now are, in many cases, what could be called 'sticking plaster' players who may well only have a couple of decent years in them at best!
SL: Marko Arnautovic was confirmation of that. They're more than prepared to take the short-term road.
Q: Has United's budget been reduced? We originally had talk of £200m to spend, but now De Jong is not happening and we are scratching around for loan deals and older players. What happened to the money that was promised when fans met Arnold in the pub?
SL: It was never anywhere near £200m. They agreed a deal for De Jong but now are looking at alternatives who are not ideal.
READ NEXT:
