Last year, Manchester United were a day late and a dollar short in the Premier League and Champions League but salvaged their season with a victorious FA Cup campaign.
Beating Manchester City in a gripping final likely saved Erik ten Hag's job, with the Dutch manager under fire throughout the year but dealing with a squad beleaguered by heavy injuries.
As such, he has been handed another chance to lift Old Trafford back to the pinnacle of European football, where it belongs. He's won trophies across both of his terms at the helm and is now starting to shape his squad with some terrific summer signings.
Joshua Zirkzee scored the late winner on his debut last week, latching onto Alejandro Garnacho's delivery to fire United into a three-point start, with defensive additions Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui both starring.
Manuel Ugarte is set to arrive from Paris Saint-Germain, bringing his tough-tackling mettle to the engine room, while a surprise name has popped up too, unwanted at a Premier League rival.
Man United transfer news
According to talkSPORT, United have been offered left-back Ben Chilwell by Chelsea, with Enzo Maresca juggling a bloated first team and needing to make cuts.
Marc Cucurella and summer signing Renato Veiga, who can invert, are better-suited options for the Italian's system, but that doesn't mean Chilwell wouldn't thrive with the Red Devils.
Chelsea signed the England international from Leicester City in a £50m package four years ago, but injuries have ruined much of his stay, limiting him to just 30 Premier League starts across the past three years.
He's fit now, however, and will be raring to go again after several testing years. United could offer him a lifeline, for they need a left-back before next week's deadline.
What Ben Chilwell would bring to Man United
They say the best ability is availability, but that's in short supply for Man United's left-backs, with Tyrell Malacia last making a competitive appearance on the final day of the 2022/23 Premier League season.
Luke Shaw, to aggravate the woes, has not featured for United since February and was reported to have picked up a calf injury in training this month that will sideline him until after the September international break.
The Glazers forked out £30m for an 18-year-old Shaw one decade ago, with his maiden performances with Southampton establishing him as one of England's finest talents in a generation.
Unfortunately, Shaw's Premier League journey has been punctuated with setbacks, incessantly so. Injuries ravaged his first few seasons at the Theatre of Dreams and he has never been able to shake them since, only starting 30+ top-flight fixtures in a single campaign twice throughout his long career.
One of the country's most talented players, the consistency of his fitness blows suggests that it would be a mistake not to sign a replacement – even though Diogo Dalot impresses when placed in an unnatural left-back role.
Chilwell, while admittedly struggling for fitness himself, would ease the burden considerably, also offering a creative and progressive approach that could be perfect for Ten Hag's system, ranking among the top 20% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions and the top 6% for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90, as per FBref.
And if we compare the full-backs' most recent productive campaigns in the Premier League, we see why it might be a good move for United to add Chilwell to the ranks.
Matches (starts)
27 (27)
31 (30)
Goals
3
1
Assists
5
2
Clean sheets
9
11
Touches*
81.4
79.5
Pass completion
82%
86%
Key passes*
1.1
1.1
Dribbles*
0.6 (59%)
0.5 (45%)
Tackles*
1.6
1.2
Clearances*
1.7
1.7
Total duels won*
5.1 (57%)
4.6 (56%)
The metrics show that Chilwell is a more rounded wide defender, with an eye for goal and a natural creative quality that surpasses that of Shaw.
When fit and firing, the Chelsea star's dynamic roundedness allows him to fire across all cylinders, which is exactly what United need to refine their backline and charge their attack, basically improving the all-round fluency.
After all, he's been hailed as "one of the best full-backs in the world" by former Stamford Bridge boss Mauricio Pochettino when fitness is on his side, having posted 21 goal contributions from 106 total appearances for Chelsea and played a crucial role in winning the 2021/22 Champions League title.
That European pedigree, moreover, would inject a mentality boost too. United have equipped themselves with some exciting talent this summer, but an experienced head would go down well to balance signing the likes of Leny Yoro, Zirkzee and Ugarte.
Finalising Ugarte's signature will take precedence at this point, with the Uruguayan's move "at the final stage" and "almost completed", as per Fabrizio Romano.
The talented sitting midfielder will hopefully complete Ten Hag's midfield, and if a deal can be concluded swiftly, there will be ample time to focus on bringing Chilwell up from the capital.
The hopes of a deal would probably linger on the Chelsea defender agreeing to slash his £200k-per-week salary, for INEOS are striving to reduce United's exorbitant wage bill.
While some might have reservations given Chilwell's shoddy recent injury record, it would be a good idea to get him on board, allowing Shaw to focus on building himself back up while providing Ten Hag with a new option to add a dimension.
Surprise move: Man Utd target "extraordinary" UCL winner who's like De Ligt
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ByJack Salveson HolmesAug 23, 2024