The football hasn't even got back underway yet but the Manchester United rollercoaster has already left the station.
It's been a topsy turvy few weeks that has had its budding optimism, gathering doom and gloom, back to what seemed to be a cautious excitement for what the future holds before dread began to seep back in again. The fact that the mood around the club has been optimistic at all considering United are coming off the back of their worst ever Premier League campaign is testament to the good early work of Erik ten Hag but Saturday's defeat to Atletico Madrid was a timely reminder that there's a lot of hard work to do yet.
The performances in Thailand and Australia were certainly galvanising, especially as United appear to have quickly grasped the fundamentals of Ten Hag's style and are already playing a much more exciting, intricate and structured game but when they came up against really tough competition - a second-string Liverpool side doesn't count - their game was a lot harder to pull off. It was made clear how much improvement is still needed if the club wishes to become competitive again. A much-needed reality check.
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Hopefully, one that has been heeded by the powers that be at the club because with less than a month of the transfer window to go it's obvious that more players are needed. The additions of Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez are a good start but, while they certainly make the squad as a whole better, they don't dramatically improve the starting XI as none of the three are guaranteed to be in it.
Though a clear-out was definitely needed, United did say goodbye to six players on free transfers at the start of the summer and that's a big loss for a squad to take without ample replacements. A grand rebuild was heralded this summer and it simply hasn't come to pass.
Ten Hag is yet to get the right-back he wants, the reserve goalkeeper, the reinforcement in attack and, of course, his No.1 target, Frenkie de Jong. The blame for that can not be placed on United. They have had a deal in place with Barcelona for the midfielder for months but his own reluctance to leave Camp Nou, especially amid a standoff on unpaid wages, has led to it dragging out.
It's clear a sizeable chunk of the budget has been kept aside for De Jong but time is beginning to run out. How long can United wait on a player, especially one who doesn't exactly seem delighted about the prospect of moving to Manchester? The longer they wait the more difficult it's going to be to bring in an alternative and an alternative will definitely be needed.
What level of ambition are United showing this season? Give us your verdict on this and other questions in our Big United Forum survey - take part below or click here, and debate in the comments here.
Ten Hag knows he needs more technical proficiency in the middle as, while he would be a useful squad player and he does have positive traits for certain matches, Scott McTominay doesn't have enough of it. The fact that he is still in the strongest XI is proof that not enough has been done in the market as of yet.
While the focus remains on De Jong other positions are going neglected, too. Diogo Dalot has shown promise in pre-season but will he be able to play consistently over a full season? If not, then the only player Ten Hag can replace him with is a player he wants out of the club in Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
The new manager's attacking options are incredibly threadbare as well and that's even if Cristiano Ronaldo stays. If he gets his wish to leave, that will leave Anthony Martial, a man who scored two goals last year, as their only striker. The Frenchman may look rejuvenated in pre-season but history would suggest it won't last long. Then with only Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Elanga and some untested youngsters for the other forward slots, it would be a huge risk to go into a campaign with such a tiny arsenal.
Ten Hag has made a good start to life as United boss but if he is to be a success then he needs much more ambition from his club.
What level of ambition are United showing this season? Give us your verdict on this and other questions in our Big United Forum survey - take part below or click here, and debate in the comments here.
