How Man Utd’s dream £450m starting XI of instant title contenders could look next season

Manchester United’s appearance in the FA Cup final proved how far they have to go to be as good as those noisy neighbours down the way – but taken alongside a top four finish and a League Cup trophy, it was also evidence of how far they’ve already come since Erik ten Hag took over.

This season’s United were substantially superior to any side seen at Old Trafford for a good five years, and perhaps even longer - but there are still quite a few positions where Ten Hag can upgrade and improve the team, and all signs point to a pretty hefty overhaul this summer. We’ve already taken a look at some of the players who are likely to leave in the transfer window (and the £115m worth of funds that those departures could free up), so let’s take a look at what a playing XI might look like next season if all the most plausible rumours for incomings and outgoings end up becoming a reality.

We’ve worked out a possible starting eleven containing a whopping £450m worth of talent (based on rumoured prices and estimated market valuations of existing squad members) and with quite a few exciting new faces – and on paper, at least, you’d have to say that it at least has the look of a team who could start bridging the big old gap to Manchester City. Would this team challenge for the title? Time may very well tell…

GK: David Raya - £40m

With David De Gea likely to depart Old Trafford this summer – or at least accept a demotion to a back-up role – there will be a man between the sticks. Tottenham Hotspur will be rivals for Raya’s signature, but the lure of Champions League football means that United have the edge when it comes to persuading the Spain international that they should be his next club.

De Gea has been a very worthy addition to the pantheon of United goalies but there’s little argument that he’s in decline, and as we’ve previously seen when discussing Ten Hag’s options for a new number one, the Brentford ‘keeper has recently been outperforming De Gea – and indeed most other Premier League shot-stoppers – by practically every metric you could mention. Right now, Raya looks like the most likely man for United to have in net, and one of the best they could get.

RB: Benjamin Pavard - £25m

The French World Cup winner – and scorer of that famous screamer against Argentina – has indicated he’d like to leave Bayern Munich this off-season, and with one year left to run on his contract, he’ll have a few suitors keen on picking up an experienced and capable right-back for a comparatively budget-friendly price.

Pavard, who started his career as a centre-back and could provide a depth option there too, would provide some stiff competition for Aaron Wan-Bissaka at the very least, and would give United that extra bit of defensive quality that they frankly still need.

CB: Kim Min-Jae - £50m

The Napoli defender has been hugely impressive this campaign and has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester for some time now – and he would likely represent a big upgrade in one of the team’s weakest positions.

A huge aerial presence who can play the ball out from the back comfortably, Kim has all the qualities required to play at the top level in the modern game – a fact he’s proven pretty handily as he helped his side to their first Scudetto since 1990. €55m is the figure that crops up most on the rumour mill – not cheap, per se, but still a potential bargain.

CB: Raphaël Varane - £35m

Of United’s current crop of centre-halves, Harry Maguire seems likely to leave (or be shoved gracelessly through the door, anyway), Lisandro Martínez is expected to miss the start of the season thanks to his fractured metatarsal, and Victor Lindelöf is… well, he’s fine.

That leaves Varane is Kim’s most likely partner for the curtain-raiser, and the 30-year-old Frenchman is still a classy and hugely competent player who has certainly helped to solidify United’s backline, at least when he isn’t nursing injuries of his own. A player the Ten Hag will hope stays fit for as much of the season as possible.

LB: Luke Shaw - £30m

No need to over-complicate things at left-back – Luke Shaw has nailed the role down since the departure of José Mourinho and his unfussy, uncomplicated style has made United better both going forward and in defence.

United might want to look at a back-up for him, depending on how much confidence they have in young Tyrell Malacia, but even with Alex Telles expected to depart, this is one part of the field where United don’t have to put too much work in.

CM: Casemiro - £45m

He might have a habit of picking up needless red cards – he missed seven games last season due to suspension – but Casemiro has still been one of the best and most important signings that United have made in years.

There’s no chance that Casemiro doesn’t start pretty much every game he’s available for, and while United are dipping into the midfield transfer market, they won’t be worrying about the defensive side of the equation very much. A quality player who will remain key to the side.

CM: Adrien Rabiot – free

The Juventus midfield is available on a free transfer as his contract runs down in Turin, and word has it that Manchester United are in negotiations with his rather formidable mother (who happens to act as his agent) to bring the Frenchman to Old Trafford.

Rabiot may have a bit of a reputation for sulkiness, but he’s still a fine player with the ball at his feet, contributes significantly to the defence and picked up 12 goal contributions for the Old Lady in Serie A last year. At 28 years old, there’s plenty of good playing time left in his legs, and if he can be kept happy, he could be a great addition who wouldn’t even cost a penny.

CM: Bruno Fernandes - £65m

The Portuguese attacking midfielder is the beating heart of United’s attack on his day, and won’t be going anywhere this summer. He scored eight goals and teed up eight more over the course of the Premier League campaign – which, remarkably, was something of an undershot, because his expected assists was a frankly showy 16.7.

Which is both a testament to Bruno’s enduring quality, and to the need for United to refresh their front line – that’s a lot of goals missed out on by the players buzzing around the Portuguese midfielder. Get the strikers situation sorted, and United will pick up plenty of extra goal. Speaking of which…

LW: Marcus Rashford - £70m

By far United’s most dangerous forward for the past year, Rashford is one of United’s best players and is absolutely key to their success going forward. His 17 league goals was more than double that of anyone else at Old Trafford, which underlines the desperate need to sign another striker this summer.

The big question for Ten Hag is whether to continue to use Rashford as a centre-forward, or to move him back to the left-hand side of an attacking trident – which may well be his best position. Whether that’s even possible depends heavily on whether a suitable number nine can be found…

CF: Rasmus Højlund - £35m

The pursuit of Harry Kane is looking less and less likely to be successful now that Real Madrid have stuck their oar in, which means United may look at their alternatives. Victor Osimhen would be ideal, but would cost a small fortune. Gonçalo Ramos has been mentioned, but may struggle to live up to the projected £100m price tag. That leaves Højlund, a dangerous young Dane who could be on for a €40m transfer.

Signed by Atalanta from the Austrain Bundesliga last summer, the 20-year-old scored 11 goals in Italy, along with five more for Denmark in just two games. He hasn’t yet proved that he can consistently contribute, but on his day there’s some serious quality there. If United do end up opting for Højlund as their striking addition, it likely means that he’d be the back-up to Rashford, for this season at least, but he could certainly chip in with a few goals of his own. Not the finished product, but a player with clear potential.

RW: Mason Mount - £55m

We’ll admit to crowbarring Mount in slightly at right wing – more likely he plays a mixture of left inside forward next to Rashford, and attacking midfield as competition and support for Bruno. But we wanted to talk about the centre-forward options a bit, so for the purposes of this article, Mount can play on the right for a bit.

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The deal is not yet sealed to sign the England international from Chelsea, but looks increasingly likely with his club in dire need of money to balance the books and Mount keen to play Champions League football. A tremendous player, he’d add starting quality to several positions where United need reinforcements, and it’s not inconceivable that he does pick up some minutes on the right given the distinctly up-and-down performances of players like Antony and Jadon Sancho. Would signing Mount be truly essential for United? Probably not. Would he improve them? Absolutely.