Manchester United fans have unsurprisingly named a new centre-midfielder as the biggest transfer priority for the club this summer.
It looks set to be another summer of change for United and it's no exaggeration to say that the decisions the club make could determine if the now five-year trophy drought will come to an end any time soon. The first and biggest call that has to be made is who is hired as the next permanent manager to take the reins from Ralf Rangnick.
United have already begun the process of finding their next coach, having interviewed Ajax's Erik ten Hag, and hope to have the successor to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in place by the end of the season. Paris Saint-Germain's Mauricio Pochettino is another leading candidate but other linked names Luis Enqirue and Julen Lopetegui appear to have ruled themselves out of the running.
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Whoever ends up getting the job, they have a big task on their hands in turning United back into Premier League title contenders after going through another demoralising season. Improvements will also need to be made on the squad, especially as several players are set to leave.
Paul Pogba, Edinson Cavani, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and Lee Grant are all expected to depart when their contracts come to an end following the conclusion of the season. There could be more following them out of the door, too, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Anthony Martial, Donny van de Beek, Dean Henderson and even Marcus Rashford all having uncertain futures.
It's likely that United will once again have to dig deep into their wallet to strengthen the squad once the transfer window opens but United supporters have made it clear that a new midfielder is the most important signing. MEN Sport asked fans 'Which position needs to be Manchester United's priority in the summer transfer window?' and it was the clear winner with an overwhelming majority of 67 per cent of the 3,553 votes.
Defensive-midfield has been a problem position for United for a number of years. Paul Pogba doesn't have the tactical discipline to play there, Nemanja Matic is ageing and can't be relied upon to play week in week out, Donny van de Beek never settled at Old Trafford and plenty more signings in the position ended up not working out.
That has left United with the partnership of Scott McTominay and Fred as their best option and, though both have had great moments individually and are talented players, it just hasn't worked as a consistent pairing. United have lacked a player who can really dominate the game from the middle of the park for some time but thankfully the club has also realised the need to finally sign one this summer and has made it their priority.
West Ham talisman Declan Rice is the top target and he would certainly fix all their issues but competition is bound to be fierce and he will likely cost north of £100million. If United miss out then they will have to go for an alternative, with Youri Tielemans, Aurelian Tchouameni and Jude Bellingham all linked.
Centre-back came in second place in the poll with 19 per cent of the vote. Despite signing Raphael Varane last summer United have continued to be fragile at the back. The Frenchman's injury record hasn't helped matters but captain Harry Maguire has endured a difficult season, Victor Lindelof has remained inconsistent and Eric Bailly and Phil Jones are too injury prone to be relied upon. As a result, yet another centre-back signing would make sense.
Surprisingly, only 12 per cent of fans believe a new striker is a priority despite the fact that Cavani's imminent departure leaves United with just the 37-year-old Ronaldo as their only natural striker. And even he could leave as well. The final 2 per cent opted for 'other.'
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