Taking on a new save in Football Manager 2023 is a difficult task for any team, but this year it is a particularly interesting challenge to go to the famous Manchester United to try and bring back the high level of quality they are used to and have been struggling to find in recent years. While there are a variety of different ways players could manage United to fresh success, there are some vital roles that need to be filled and players who could do the job perfectly from around the world.
It can be difficult to shift the perspective of footballing fans from the real world to that of Football Manager. For instance, United’s goalkeeper David De Gea has been patchy in form for a few seasons now but remains a high-stat goalkeeper who teams hugely desire in the world of Football Manager. For this reason, there are certain focuses players should turn their attention to, besides just getting rid of Cristiano Ronaldo and his major drain on finances.
6 Achraf Hakimi
One of the major positions at Manchester United that will need immediately addressed is the right-back spot. While players like Wan-Bissaka and Diego Dalot will be able to hold it down, the spot is definitely the weakest of United’s defense, and it won’t do long-term if the team is supposed to hold against teams like Manchester City and Liverpool.
Hakimi currently plays for PSG, one of the best-financed clubs in the world. Manchester United are one of the few teams that could look at signing him, though their financial powerhouse days are somewhat over. Hakimi would be expensive, but getting rid of the likes of Ronaldo or Phil Jones could provide the needed boost to finances to spend a possible 100 million on a quality player that is much needed.
5 Malo Gusto
Another player currently lighting up the French Ligue 1 with Lyon, Malo Gusto is only 19, but that makes him an early target to get a much cheaper option than Hakimi at right-back. This move is an important one to make quickly, because Gusto is one of the most exciting young defenders in the world right now and will be costly for a teenager, but will go quickly to another major club if he isn’t snapped up.
Whichever of these options a player takes once they get taken on by United, or whether it is another right-back entirely, the position is one that should be filled before almost anything else is taken care of.
4 Endrick
At sixteen years old, it is difficult to initially see what a young South American player like Endrick can do for one of the biggest clubs in the world. However, with Christiano Ronaldo on the squad, a team like Manchester United will be able to rest on their laurels with him as their leading striker for another year or two. He will retire eventually, and when he does, there will be a huge gap needing filled at the head of the Manchester United attack.
Whether a new manager wants to go ahead with familiar formations for United with one main striker or find a new pair that can work well together, they can’t go wrong with youth and speed like Endrick has. He has been lighting up South America even at his young age and will likely go somewhere major in Europe quickly.
3 Joao Pedro
Another great option for a striker could be the man currently lighting up the championship for Watford. While the Brazilian Pedro has been flourishing and is certainly ready to be playing back at the Premier League level, no team has dared take the chance on him yet. Joao Pedro could easily fill the main striker role at Man United as he matures, with the right midfield around him helping him push forwards.
Pedro will likely cost about 35 million, but Watford will negotiate as they need the money to try and launch themselves back toward the Premier League. It is a relatively strange position for United to try and sign a championship player, but with a year or two for him to get used to the higher level before Ronaldo is done, it could be an ingenious acquisition.
2 Ivan Ilic
While Man United have a stronger midfield than most other big teams and has some decent depth, they could use a long-term partner for the likes of Casemiro to really help stave off the dangers of running out of steam in a busy season schedule. Ilic plays for Hellas Verona and will likely cost 40 million at least.
However, he is 21 years old, already looks world-class, and could definitely pair with Casemiro to create a deadly duo in the center of midfield that could hearken back to the days when United had Roy Keane, Paul Scholes and even David Beckham in that area.
1 Victor Osimhen
Osimhen is one of the most major cases of a world-class striker that hasn’t had his giant move yet in the summer. The Nigerian leading man has scored rampantly for Napoli and his next transfer move will likely come soon, cost over 80 million, and set him with the same “not for sale” sign that every striker better than him has for the foreseeable future.
Osimhen is incredible, only 23, and could give the United attack the same thing that their biggest rivals have. He’ll probably win a Champions League at some point in the next ten years, make sure it is with a team like Manchester United that can afford him, for now.