It might be the opening day of the January transfer window, but Manchester United are already looking ahead to the summer as well.
United head into the transfer market in second place in the Premier League, but not even halfway through the campaign, with the reopening of the window coming at an odd time given the delayed start to the new season.
Clubs are famously reluctant to do business at the midway stage of the season, never mind the 15-match stage, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer expecting little movement in the month ahead.
There should be departures with Sergio Romero, Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones all surplus to requirements, while the likes of Brandon Williams and Jesse Lingard are already being targeted for loan exits.
In terms of arrivals there is the anticipated addition of Amad Diallo and the complicated issue of turning interest in Moises Caicedo into something a little more concrete.
United’s fortunes were turned on their head by the addition of Bruno Fernandes a year ago, but the accelerated plans to lure him to Old Trafford came with the caveat that their summer budget would be affected as a result. It’s proven to be a price well worth paying.
The impact of Fernandes has many fans itching for investment this January as well, but like last year, United will only move for a player this month if they become available ahead of schedule with a reasonable price tag.
One such player is full-back Max Aarons, with United admirers of the youngster for a number of years following his initial breakthrough at Norwich.
Not only is the 20-year-old capable of playing at both left and right back, but he comes with the added bonus of having Premier League experience under his belt.
Aarons might be more junior than Aaron Wan-Bissaka but he possesses more attacking threat and would other something noticeably different at right-back.
Aarons could also provide more balance when United opt to operate with wing-backs, with Wan-Bissaka currently struggling to match the attacking contributions of Alex Telles and Luke Shaw on the opposite flank.
With a European Championship at the end of the season neither youngster would want to do anything to jeopardise their hopes of a call-up, while Norwich’s promotion push makes any sale of Aarons illogical to the Norfolk club unless a loan-back option is included.
However, there is another clear issue. What would it mean for Wan-Bissaka?
The fact both Bayern Munich and Barcelona looked at signing Aarons from Norwich in the summer window proves his enormous talents, but is the fee required to sign him really worth the marginal upgrade on Wan-Bissaka it might bring?
While the former Crystal Palace full-back might be blunt in attack there are few sharper than him in defence, something which complicates analysing him.
Signing a new right-back might bring an obvious improvement in regards to the attacking threat United pose down the flank, but there will almost certainly be the repercussion of greater fragility at the back as well.
Solskjaer might very well hope that signing a new full-back invigorates Wan-Bissaka in the same way it did with Luke Shaw when Alex Telles arrived, but Aarons seems a needless expense if that is a factor behind the deal.
Instead there would be more sense bringing in a more experienced attacking option at right-back with a shorter shelf life in case Wan-Bissaka does rise to the challenge. Perhaps a loan option or even a veteran on a short-term deal?
Likewise if United’s main reason to pursue Aarons is simply to offer something different in attack then it would be more logical to give either Brandon Williams or Ethan Laird a fair opportunity first.
By the end of the season we should get a clearer understanding of whether or not United do need another right-back, but with weaknesses elsewhere in the squad it shouldn’t be a priority in January.
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