With United signing two forward players this summer there are genuine options up front for the first time in a while. Ole Gunnar Solskjær has the best problem a manager can have. There are top quality players in each position along that front three. On the left you have Marcus Rashford once he is fit, Jadon Sancho can play there and obviously Cristiano Ronaldo coming in provides another option. On the right there is Sancho, Mason Greenwood has done some of his best work on the right. Through the middle there is Edinson Cavani, Cristiano and still Mason Greenwood.
These are all players who Ole can trust to put in a serious shift and provide the goals. Add to that players such as Martial, Lingard and Amad who can still do a job if needed. The wealth of attacking talent at Manchester United’s disposal is scary.
There are some people who would think that United don’t need more forward players. They might look at last season and how well players such as Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood performed. As well as Edinson Cavani chipping in with vital goals.
Ultimately though, the signings made have been needed. As well as Mason Greenwood has performed on the right wing, he is more of a natural number 9 and that is where most see him playing the future of his football. Manchester United have lacked a genuine right-winger for many years. Jadon Sancho obviously fixes that issue. As well as that he can play on the left and fill in with Marcus Rashford being out for a few more weeks still.
Down the middle there are now three genuine options. I can’t see Martial getting much, if any, gametime now that Ronaldo has come in. Mason Greenwood is in the form of his life. Getting 9 goals in his last 11 games for United is no mean feat. The kind of form that he is in is almost undroppable. Edinson Cavani will always be a goal threat. His movement in and around the box in undeniable. Cristiano’s capability to produce goals is out of this world. The prospect of Mason Greenwood, Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani for example all lining up in the same team is frightening.
As well as the quality that these signings offer on the pitch, one of the most important things this provides for Ole is options. Last season we saw how certain players looked like they had been played into the ground. During the Europa League final Marcus Rashford, for example, looked dead on his feet. We now know that this was due to playing through an injury. But other players looked fatigued as well. With the attacking options now at Manchester United’s disposal there is much more of an incentive to rotate and keep players fresh throughout the season. With this in mind, when the latter stages of the season approaches and with that the opportunity for trophies, our players will look a lot fresher and sharper than they have in previous seasons. This is because throughout the rest of the season they won’t be played into the ground .
Ultimately, Ole Gunnar Solksjær has one the best problems that a manager can have. He has around 5 or 6, with the return of Marcus, top quality players to choose from for those three forward positions. This ability to rest and rotate without seeing a drop in quality is crucial for success this season.