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Manchester United Recruitment Analysis 2025/2026 & Defending Crosses In A Back Four
Today, we have a recruitment analysis piece looking at why Manchester United overspent so far this summer along with a tactical theory piece on defending crosses in a back four.
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Matheus Cunha officially became a Manchester United player after the Red Devils paid the £62.5m release clause that Wolverhampton Wanderers had set.
Reports also suggest that United are interested in adding Bryan Mbeumo as their second new attacker this summer, and that the player is willing to move to Manchester.
Last season, Cunha and Mbeumo were two of the top scorers in the Premier League.
The former scored 15 goals, while the latter scored 20 for Brentford.
United are about to sign two players who have scored a combined 35 goals—that’s massive.
Both players have proven themselves to be attackers who can carry their team’s attack.
Cunha was arguably Wolves’ most important attacking player, while Mbeumo led his team’s goal contributions last season.
From a tactical standpoint, they appear to be the players that United are looking for to play in the double-ten positions, or as nines when needed, in Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-3 system.
They have both proven themselves to be good Premier League-calibre players.
However, there are some concerns about them, due to their respective costs.
The concern about signing these players for large sums of money (Mbeumo is reported to have cost around £55m) is not about their quality.
Rather, it is the idea that Manchester United are paying a premium price for their contributions last season, despite underlying numbers showing that they are not 35-goal producers and that this pattern is unsustainable.
So, the concern is not whether they are good enough for United, but whether they are really worth the money United are paying.
That’s what this player analysis article is here to explore.
Defending crosses is one of the most detailed tactical analysis topics, with numerous differences between different teams and coaches’ ideas.
The details of defending crosses start with each defender’s possibility of either marking an attacker or covering a specific space.
It differs from defending with either four or five defenders due to the width of the defensive line.
Each possibility for the defenders inside the box has its advantages and disadvantages.
This tactical theory will explain various tactical approaches and executions for a back-four system defending crosses employed by different teams, including US Lecce, Aston Villa, SC Freiburg, and Rayo Vallecano in 2024/2025.
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Roony Bardghji to Barcelona is a done deal—€2m fee plus add-ons and a sell-on clause agreed with FC Copenhagen.
We analysed him back in 2021/22, highlighting why he had the potential to become a world-class winger.
Read the scout report below.
Ansu Fati’s medical at AS Monaco will start on Friday, as soon as documents with Barça are done and signed.
Dive back into his 2020 scout report when he had the world at his feet, can he find his form back again in France.
AC Milan are set to improve their bid to Club Brugge for Ardon Jashari up to €27m fixed fee plus €5m add-ons.
Club Brugge insist on higher fee but AC Milan will try again.
Dive into his 2024/2025 scout report as he's possibly on the move.
