Manchester United chief executive Omar Berrada has set lofty targets for the season, but the club's actions in the transfer window are not matching his words. With only days left before the window closes, the squad still lacks depth in key areas.
High ambitions, limited spending
At the end of last season, Berrada spoke about winning the title this term, and at Thursday's Champions League draw he said the approach was to go and win the competition. These are the aims United should have, but the question is whether actions match the rhetoric this summer.
After overhauling the attack last season, United have signed three midfielders this summer. The £155million outlay on Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba looks like good value, but Michael Carrick's squad still needs more depth.
Left-back and forward gaps
An upgrade on Joshua Zirkzee should have been on the agenda this summer. Although the Dutch forward now looks likely to return to Serie A, sourcing a high-level replacement is going to be difficult in the final days of the window.
Of even more urgency is the situation at left-back. A signing to compete with and succeed Luke Shaw should have been a priority, but United lacked the ambition and urgency to make an early move for Lewis Hall and never committed to trying to do a deal with Arsenal for Myles Lewis-Skelly.
At the moment, Noussair Mazraoui and Patrick Dorgu are the only real alternatives to Shaw, but the former is a right-back and the latter has been more effective as a winger. Shaw started every Premier League game last season, but repeating that feat in a more congested season is going to prove impossible.
Net spend and time running out
United have to sign a left-back before the transfer window closes on Tuesday, although even a stop-gap solution and a loan deal now is going to look like a move lacking in the kind of ambition being spoken about at Old Trafford.
United's net spend at the moment is around £110million, a figure eclipsed individually this summer by Chelsea, Manchester City and now Liverpool. Both Coventry City and Ipswich Town have a higher net spend so far this summer than United.
There is still time to bring in another body or two. A left-back and forward before Tuesday night would be welcome, but it feels unlikely either is going to be an eye-catching deal now. Perhaps Carrick and his staff can continue to eke out improvements in the players already at the club, but it's looking hard to make a case for the deeds of this transfer window matching the words of the club's decision-makers.
