5 Biggest Concerns Manchester United Fans Have

CONCERN NUMBER 1:                                                          

                                          EARLY FIXTURES
                                     

    

There was a collective groan in the red half of Manchester when next season's Premier League fixtures were released.

The Red Devils will host Chelsea and make trips to Liverpool and Manchester City all within the five weeks of the campaign.

These are games that must be played, but for David Moyes to have to marshal his troops for such big tests so early in his reign is a huge concern. The Scotsman will need time to get United playing the way he wants them to. This is not going to happen overnight or on the club's preseason tours to Asia and Australasia.

CONCERN NUMBER 2:

                           WRONG AREAS TARGETED IN THE MARKET

                     

 If recent transfer reports are anything to go by, then Manchester United are on the verge of signing two defenders. The Mirror claim  that the Red Devils are close to agreeing a deal worth £17 million for Benfica central defender Ezequiel Garay, while the Daily Mail say a bid has already been made for Everton's Leighton Baines. If you asked the casual United fan which area of the squad is most in need of strengthening, the majority would say midfield, not defence. Some might even suggest the club needs to sign two midfielders, a deeper-lying, box-to-box type player, and a more advanced creative threat.

Garay and Baines are both top players, but neither should be a priority before, say, a deal for Barcelona's Thiago has been sealed. We all know Moyes to be a strong defensive mind, but the tools are already in place in this area both for the short and long term.

CONCERN NUMBER 3

                                        CHICHARITO: FIRST TEAM ROLE

                                       

                                        

As he has shown, and continues to show, Javier Hernandez is one of the best natural goal-scorers in the game. The Mexican striker is an elite attacking threat in the box who uses his innate awareness to put himself in the best positions to find the back of the net. Last season under Sir Alex, his playing time in the first team did not reflect his qualities. Hernandez started only nine Premier League games, featuring more as a late-game substitute. He still managed to score 10 league goals though, nine more than fellow forward Danny Welbeck who played more. David Moyes will face the challenge of giving Hernandez more of a role next term, especially considering Robin van Persie's undroppable form. But Hernandez is a player the club cannot afford to lose, and one who must be put to better use.

CONCERN NUMBER 4

                                         MASS EXODUS

                           
                           

 

There have been several worrying reports in the media in recent weeks regarding some of the Red Devils' most important players. Quite recently, The Mirror reported that Italian giants AC Milan are interested in signing United captain and defensive stalwart Nemanja Vidic. Experienced left-back and positive dressing room influence Patrice Evra has also been linked with a move away from Old Trafford. In a report in The Sun, the Frenchman is supposedly ready to quit United and return to former club Monaco in the face of rumours that David Moyes is keen on signing Leighton Baines to fill his shoes. There is also Wayne Rooney, who remains a world-class player whose future is shrouded in doubt. These are players whose exits would only be detrimental to the makeup of the club's squad. One can understand Moyes wanting to start afresh, but this is not the right time for a transitional season.

CONCERN NUMBER 5
                                      
                                    COMPLETELY NEW  BACKROOM STAFF
                                    

                                

 

                                  

                                 
                  

                                                         DAVID MOYES

Perhaps the biggest reason for Sir Alex's sustained success at the helm of Manchester United was stability.
There were down years, of course, but there were always key figures both in the dressing room and in the backroom to uphold the club's winning traditions. With Sir Alex's exit, coaching stalwarts Rene Meulensteen, Mike Phelan and Eric Steele have also followed suit. David Moyes has brought with him his Everton assistants Steve Round, Chris Woods and Jimmy Lumsden, names that are mostly unfamiliar to United fans.
The new manager must be able to trust the men he works with day-to-day, but a revolution is not needed at a club coming off a dominant domestic campaign. There must be United men working backstage, men who understand the way the club works. The appointment of a Phil Neville, Ryan Giggs (as a player-coach) or Paul Scholes would greatly help the transition.

story and images courtesy of Manchester United website and bleacher report.