Manchester United did not have a great pre-season and in the absence of many of their stars due to injuries and post World Cup vacations, it was tough for a confirmed first 11 for the whole of the season to take shape.
United’s transfer business so far has been poor as well. United have added Diogo Dalot, Fred and Lee Grant so far, out of whom, only Fred has realistic changes to start this season in the first team. Diogo Dalot is currently injured and will most certainly be an understudy to Valencia for the majority of the season. Lee Grant will be the third choice after Romero.
Manchester United are looking to add at least one central defender and one right winger before the end of the transfer window. While a lot of names are doing the rounds, Alderweireld of Tottenham seems to be the most likely defender to join, with a deal set to be finalized between the two clubs.
The situation with the right winger is not so clear, as there is still uncertainty about any potential arrival. The Willian saga has been dragged on for ages it seems, but apart from a lot of contrasting reports, nothing concrete has materialized so far.
Mourinho has said that he would prefer two more signings, but one would still be okay. That one signing as of now looks to be Toby Alderweireld and as such there might not be any reinforcements for the right wing this time.
However, in the event that no further players are added in the transfer window, Manchester United do still have a decent squad for the 2018/19 season. They will however have to up their defence. This is how they would most probably line up their defence if no new players join before the closing of the Transfer Window.
Defence has been the cause of concern for Manchester United in the pre season. They have been poor, and a lot has been written about defensive reinforcements, but the real picture, if statistics are to be considered, is quite different. Manchester United played 38 games and conceded only 28 goals, the second lowest in the league after Manchester City.
They also had 19 clean sheets, the most in the Premier League last season. In the Premier League alone, Manchester United had 564 tackles, with a tackle success rate of 65%. There were 481 interceptions and 853 clearances.
Only 4 errors led to goals in the whole season. Manchester City, the eventual champions, had 18 clean sheets and let in 27 goals. In the premier league, City had 563 tackles, with a tackle success rate of 68% and they had 346 interceptions and 588 clearances. Incidentally, they committed 6 errors which led to goals.
As such, even without the addition of further players, United should be fine. Lindelof had a stellar World Cup and should be building a formidable partnership with Bailly, who is one of the best defenders in the Premier League.
Valencia and Young will be the first choice in the wings initially, but Luke Shaw will eventually make the left-back position his own. Dalot might require a bit more time to take Valencia’s place, but United’s first choice defence in the 2018/19 season should be Valencia-Bailly-Lindelof-Shaw.
In case Mourinho wants to shift to a 3 man defence, which he most definitely will in big games and crucial away matches, Smalling might come in along with Lindelof and Bailly.