#360view: Manchester United need to show Woodward the light

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  • Woodward needs some help at United.

    We’ve been here before. Just 24 hours before the close of the summer transfer window and Manchester United are frantically trying to sign a striker from Monaco with considerable question marks around the deal.

    Last year it was Radamel Falcao, this time Anthony Martial. Players at opposing stages of their careers but circumstances the same.

    — BreatheSport (@BreatheSport) August 31, 2015

    Falcao was a huge bust and has defined the often-overused term, ‘panic buy’. An injury-ridden, costly striker whose best days were unfortunately behind him. But Louis van Gaal felt he desperately needed another frontman and a call to Jorge Mendes later and the Colombian was in Manchester.

    What’s remarkable is that despite the struggles of Falcao, Robin van Persie’s minimal impact, Wayne Rooney’s decline, Van Gaal not trusting Javier Hernandez and concern that James Wilson is lacking that magic ingredient to be a top-level Premier League striker, it has taken until August 31, 2015 for the problem to be addressed.

    Except it hasn’t really, at least not for now. Martial is a supremely talented young footballer; he possesses superb close control, skills, promising finishing and a sharp turn of pace. But he is 19, has just one proper season behind him and isn’t yet a full international. There remains serious doubts over his strength and aerial ability to play as a genuine No9.

    It’s difficult to forsee him having too much of an impact, at least until next season, while being an 80 million teenager after 28 first-team league starts carries its own set of pressures. The fee is a little misleading as the latest TV deals means any approach from an English club immediately increases the asking price by 20 per cent. However, it is still an indication into how highly Monaco value Martial.

    So, United do deserve some credit. But while it is pleasing to see them sign and look to develop young talent – albeit with Adnan Januzaj off on loan – holes in the team, not just the squad, need filling now. The finger of blame has to point, once again, at Ed Woodward, United’s transfer guru.

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    The players the club have either identified and failed to sign or ignored and then seen join a rival for an affordable fee is quite a list. This isn’t a worrying trend, it’s becoming the norm. Either the targets – Gareth Bale – are unrealistic or the execution of the deals – Thiago Alcantara, Toni Kroos and Pedro – is falling drastically short.

    It was a fine start to the summer; Matteo Darmian arrived, amid interest from Bayern Munich, plus Bastian Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin – who looks an excellent, common sense purchase – and Memphis Depay, but the striking issues were apparent months ago.

    Something is also wrong with the system, with Martial an example. Signed by Monaco for Lyon for 5m in 2013, he is being sold at 16 times that price. Why weren’t United’s scouts tuned into his ability when he was flourishing at Lyon’s academy? A club with their wealth and resources should know about each and every promising teenager across the world.

    It’s straightforward signing established players, it takes talent and organisation to identify potential few can see. What the last five transfer windows under Woodward have shown is that he needs help. A well-connected sporting director to redesign and refine the club’s recruitment process and get deals done with minimum fuss.

    That’s what should now be the Glazers’ No1 transfer priority.

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