2024/25: INEOS, Sir Jim, and a New Era for Manchester United

The 2023/24 season saw Manchester United narrowly miss out on a Champions League place and, instead, secure Europa League football. This, along with being knocked out of the FA cup, ultimately saw the United hierarchy pull the trigger on Erik ten Hag's time in the dugout. The decision was made easier, however, by the Dutchman's reluctance to concede much of his decision-making power regarding transfers. 

In other league news, Burnley, Sheffield United, and Luton Town were relegated (sorry, fans of those clubs), while Leicester City, Leeds United, and Southampton returned to the Premier League for the 24/25 season. 

As far as European competitions go, United were drawn in Group E of the Europa League, along with LASK, Toulouse FC, and Royal Union Saint-Gilloise. 

I'll post another update after deciding transfer priorities and current players listed for sale/"leaving on a free." (Immersion counts for something, in my opinion, so I'll be terminating Amrabat's loan in-game, selling van de Beek and Greenwood.) There may also be some interesting developments regarding the futures of a few current players, too. Stay tuned. 

Nice one - beware that doing a story is about longevity: either be detailed about a shorter period of time (one or two seasons), or try to rush and by doing so cover a long distance.

As a Dutch Ajax-fan, I never saw Ten Hag as a good fit for Man United. Just scroll back through the pages in the general discussion: it has nothing to do with quality, it's just that in The Netherlands, we split the roles of 'manager' and 'head coach' - good head coaches (like Ten Hag) are inexperienced as managers and vice versa. So, to immediately thrust them into that role at arguably the most demanding club in the world in England, is..., well: irresponsible.

And in the shoes of Ten Hag I understand to take the given chance, but from the club's management perspective: bad choice. Hopefully your future one will be better.

i had high hopes for ten hag. i'm a united fan, but espn+ lets me catch a ton of football and watching the way his ajax side played made me a huge ten hag fan.

i still have hope that he'll turn things around, as i do believe injuries have killed us this season. to come into a united side in the state we were in, get third, get to two finals, win a trophy, and rack the win percentage he reached--all while dealing with a string of headaches (ronaldo, takeover circus, etc)--is insane. i don't think fans should be calling for him to be sacked; i think we should want him--and players--to learn and improve. the modern game isn't bunnies and flowers, though.

so while i back ten hag in real life, in fc 24, i wanted to do something different. 

the introduction of a "best-in-class" recruitment team at manchester united has seen the club go through its squad with a fine-tooth comb in an effort to conduct a thorough assessment of its players. the club believes in the qualities of its players, but admits that high managerial turnover without a proper recruitment structure has led to a squad with a mix of signings from five different managers. for this reason, it's been decided that several players may benefit from a move to a club better suited to their individual skillset. wages and injury record will also play a role in this process. 

sir jim ratcliffe and his team were rumored to be unimpressed by the signing of certain players, with casemiro, in particular, being mentioned by several outlets. omar berrada is keen to implement a two-year policy like he did during his time at manchester city, which gives players two years to impress or risk being replaced. it's anyone's guess as to which players will be sold, but sales will mean a boost in united's transfer budget.

sir jim is also rumored to be actively seeking recommendations for a "marquee" signing as a sign of intent of his vision for manchester united's new era. 

last one for today, but it's a big one.

after weeks of discussion, presentations illustrating the vision for united's future, tours of old trafford, carrington, and the proposed sight of a new stadium, manchester united have convinced julian nagelsmann of the project and the german coach has agreed to become manchester united manager in a shocking turn of events that will also see thomas tuchel take over as the head coach of the german national team ahead of the 2024 euros. 

nagelsmann is eager to get to work and is looking forward to meeting up with the players and coaching staff. meetings with united's recruitment team will also be held over the next few weeks as transfer strategies for the next several years are identified and implemented, beginning with compiling a detailed list of targets for this summer. nagelsmann also plans to work closely with united's academy directors and coaches to ensure the club maintains its strong tradition of promoting from within its youth ranks. 

tomorrow, we'll take a look at priority positions to strengthen, transfer targets, focus for youth scouts, and players who will be sold. 

which positions do you think united should look to prioritize? which players would you like to see united target? keep in mind, i'll be taking nagelsmann's transfer history into my decisions, too, along with his tactics. see you tomorrow!

If true that you will try and do transfers in the style of Nagelsmann, it ought to be a lot of 'out with the old, in with the young' because that's his style. Big players from smaller leagues, or smaller clubs, or young and in development, but no arrived stars.

Cresswell, Branthwaite, Philogene from England, Knauff and Netz from Germany. Lukeba, Kalimuendo and Cherki from France; those are typical Nagelsmann-players - getting them just before international breakthrough.

after several meetings and strategy sessions, newly appointed manager julian nagelsmann and manchester united's recruitment team have identified priority positions to strengthen in the summer transfer window. following the free departures of anthony martial and raphael varane, bringing in a new striker to rotate and even challenge rasmus hojlund and a first team quality centerback will be the first steps. 

omar berrada is also not convinced that brazilian winger, antony, is able to meet the demands of the premier league. antony, himself, has met with nagelsmann to discuss his struggles in england and it's been decided that a loan abroad with an option to buy could be the catalyst that allows the brazilian to rediscover his form out of the manchester united spotlight.  nagelsmann is a fan of amad diallo, but it's believed that that young attacker is not happy with his minimal minutes since joining united and will take convincing in order to stick around. garnacho's youth and need for further development and patience mean united are actively looking at right wing options, as well.

crystal palace winger, michael olise, was linked with a move to old trafford during ten hag's tenure and a deal was believed to be all but wrapped up before ten hag and united parted ways. berrada and nagelsmann are also in agreement that olise fits the profile--and price tag--of what they're looking for in a wide player, so a deal for olise could still be possible this summer. 

jadon sancho will be sitting down with nagelsmann and united director of football, dan ashworth, to discuss the events leading to the winger's fallout with erik ten hag, as well as the club's expectations for player behavior. it's unknown if sancho will be staying at united at this time, but united's pursuit of a winger will depend on whether or not sancho stays. 

christian eriksen, donny van de beek, and casemiro are reportedly up for sale, as well, as the club's new structure will see a shift from handing big contracts to older players with no sell-on value. eriksen's free transfer isn't thought to have been a poor decision, but injuries have seen the danish playmaker decline since he joined united. casemiro, as well, is seen as not fitting the profile of player for nagelsmann and the brazilian midfielder is also seeking to finish his career elsewhere, with clubs from south america, italy, france, and the saudi pro league expressing interest. van de beek is seeking a move to rekindle his career. losing three midfielders with scott mctominay, mason mount, and kobbie mainoo as the only options remaining means united will be looking at versatile midfielders who can contribute on and off the ball. 

finally, in a shock bit of breaking news (completely fictional and in no way representative of my thoughts or wishes, mind you), dutch left-back tyrell malacia has been forced to take an extended leave from football following further setbacks to his recovery from a long-term injury and subsequent botched operation, which saw the young fullback miss the entirety of the 23/24 season. malacia has united's full support, but the club will also be looking at left-back options. 

so there you have it: striker, centerback, left-back, central midfield, and potentially a right winger. united are wary of selling too many players, as a balance of youth and experience will be needed. nagelsmann will continue to work closely with united's academy, as well, in an effort to identify academy players on the cusp of joining the first team in training and also to identify profiles for youth scouts. 

first bit of news to kick off the transfer window

@sonofthepitch
Interesting start, I must say. I don't think Ratcliffe will stick with ten Hag in real life, unless he accepts a 'head coach' role, rather than Ferguson-style 'manager'. I hope for our sakes that, in real life, ten Hag does accept that change, because I think he's be good at that.

If you are tracking 'real life', remember that we are in a hell of a mess financially with regard to FFP (or whetever it's called these days), and maybe you therefore need to find 'bargains', in terms of new signings. Unless, that is, you get decent money for some of your outgoings. Personally, I think you'll be lucky except, perhaps Jadon Sancho (although it might be an interesting development if you kept him now that Nagelsmann has replaced ten Hag). I can't see you getting much for the other players you listed, except perhaps Greenwood and Casemiro. When I sold Casemiro in my own career save, I got £95 million for him, so there's a challenge for you 🙂

In terms of buys, I'd recommend Rayan Cherki, most definitely, as @Danimal5981 says. I'd also go for Ander Barrenetxea, who is low priced and pretty good. In defence, you should consider Luca Netz at left back (you maybe need to replace the always-injured Luke Shaw).
Oh, and anyone who reads my career stories won't be surprised at the next one - Facundo Farias. He's at Inter Miami, so there's a United connection through Becks, which you could use in the storyline. He's down as a CAM, but if you get him (he's pretty cheap in the overall scheme of things) and convert him to a CF, you'll find him just about the most prolific striker in EAFC - I do, every time. You need someone to bang in the goals, we need someone like that in real life, too, and he's it.
Looking forward to seeing how this develops...welcome aboard.

second bit of transfer news