The midweek loss to Astana was a bit of a setback for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but there have been clear signs that things are improving in the past few weeks.
Marcus Rashford’s goal for England seemed to bring his confidence back and he’s been fantastic in leading the line over the past few games. The defence could probably do with some reinforcements, but it might not be as much of a panic in the January window when it opens.
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One player who was talked about a lot during the Summer and recent months was Mario Mandzukic. The Mirror reported that United were widely expected to bring the veteran striker in next month, but they quote Tuttosport in saying the deal is now dead.
It always looked like a surprising transfer target, he’s 33, has barely player for Juve this season and would completely go against the policy of bringing in young players that we’ve seen recently.
It’s also likely that he would need some time to build up his match fitness and sharpness. When you consider he would only really be a short term signing anyway, that could be another reason for United’s interest cooling off.
That’s not to say that Solskjaer is completely happy with his options up front. The Mirror report goes on to suggest that they would be looking to sign someone who could go straight into the team. They indicate that a £75m move for Erling Haaland could be their new priority, but there’s no sign of any deal being close at this point.
It still sounds like there will be some business to be done at Old Trafford this Winter, but recent results might allow them to stick to their strategy rather than panicking and signing short term fixes instead.