Most pre-season tours are an opportunity for a club to flaunt their new signings, new kits, and, sometimes, a new manager. But just as important for Manchester United this summer will be the progress updates they see first hand from a number of players already at the club.
Erik ten Hag will be backed with further additions following the signing of Tyrell Malacia and the impending arrival of Christian Eriksen. But he is also being tasked with making the most of what he already has at his disposal.
The fact that the Dutchman has taken a bloated 31-man squad away this summer proves there are many players on the periphery with question marks surrounding their future. This summer, Ten Hag needs to gauge exactly where every player available to him is at in their development cycle.
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Ten Hag will be the centre of attention when United begin their summer schedule with a match against Liverpool on Tuesday, and perhaps the most fascinating aspect will be who he selects on the right wing for the match. United are keen on adding a versatile right-sided forward to their side this summer amid continued interest in Ajax star Antony, but until one is signed — if at all — they will need to make do with what they’ve already got.
Jadon Sancho appears to be the most likely solution, given his experience as a right winger prior to his United move, though fellow Ole Gunnar Solskjaer signings Amad and Facundo Pellistri might have equal hopes of making the role their own this summer.
The two youngsters struggled out on their respective loan exits last season, and both of them are understood to be open to another temporary departure this summer. But there might be room for one of them at Old Trafford this season.
Even if Ten Hag is successful in bringing Antony to the club, he will still need someone to fulfil the back-up role, and with most wingers at the club preferring the inverted role from the left flank, there is a need for at least two options who can balance their attack by mirroring an inverted role from the right.
Neither Amad nor Pellistri have been able to nail down regular club football since their respective moves to United two years ago, but both of them have shown glimpses of their raw, untapped potential during that period.
Amad, 19, impressed during cameos during his first season at United, most notably with his impressive improvised header against Milan in the Europa League, while Pellistri, 20, has saved his best football for the international stage, where he is a regular for Uruguay.
It is that national team involvement that perhaps makes Pellistri the most likely of the two to leave this summer, given he is desperate for regular club football ahead of the World Cup at the end of the year. Amad will be missing out following Ivory Coast’s failure to qualify for Qatar.
Nonetheless, if he manages to catch the eye of Ten Hag this summer, then there is even an argument to suggest Pellistri could get the regular football he desires as a backup option for United, featuring from the bench in the Premier League and getting starts in the cup competitions.
If not, then it is a role that could quite easily be occupied by Amad as well, especially given he has already proven himself capable of making a difference in the Europa League in his first season at the club.
Ten Hag should be backed to make another right wing addition this summer if it is an area he deems in need of improvement, but he must also give those already at his disposal a fair chance before he is granted such a wish.
Amad and Pellistri might not have the quality to go straight into the first-team right now, but ahead of a bumper season, one of them is certainly capable of playing reserve.
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