How might Man Utd line up? Strengths, weaknesses and predicted finish

It's been a rollercoaster summer for Manchester United since losing in the Europa League semi-finals last month and preparations for the 2020/21 campaign have been far fom ideal for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Captain Harry Maguire was arrested on holiday in Greece after allegedly assaulting and attempting to bribe local police, while starlet Mason Greenwood was sent home early from England duty after breaking protocol. Star player Paul Pogba tested positive for coronavirus and Aaron Wan-Bissaka was unable to start pre-season on time after holidaying in a country in the UK travel corridor. Not the mention the transfer woes the club have suffered in pursuit of key targets.

Our run down of the established top-six clubs has now reached the top three from last season, with the strengths and weaknesses of United now set for analysis.

Last Season

Manchester United looked dead and buried in the race for the top four at the turn of the year but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side put together a storming run to finish third and secure Champions League football for 2020/21. United will look to go one better in cup competitions after losing in the semi-finals of the FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Europa League last term.

Strengths

United's midfield was long pin-pointed as an area of weakness at Old Trafford, even dating back to Sir Alex Ferguson's last year in charge, but the arrival of Donny van de Beek from Ajax means it's arguably the strongest area of their squad. With Paul Pogba set to stay, Solskjaer has options in abundance following Bruno Fernandes arrival from Sporting CP in January. Nemanja Matic has rediscovered his best form in the last nine months and United still have Scott McTominay and Fred as back-up players.

Weaknesses

Harry Maguire has made a positive impact at United since his world record arrival from Leicester 12 months ago but his centre-back partner, Victor Lindelof, still leaves a lot to be desired. While there is interest in RB Leipzig's Dayot Upamecano, United are unlikely to sign another centre-back this summer and it could cost them in pursuit of closing the gap on Manchester City and Liverpool.

Solskjaer made it clear with his squad selections and in-game management that United's squad lacks quality to compete for higher honours. The drop off in class between his best XI and reserves is stark and they have so far only managed to sign Donny van de Beek. A testing season awaits United's supporters.

Transfer roundup

United and Chelsea finished level on points in the Premier League last season with big summer's expected of both. One has invested more than £200m on building a star-studded squad while the other has spent less than £40m. If you've followed United under Ed Woodward in the last few years you can easily guess United are the latter. It's been a hugely frustrating summer for Solskjaer, who is still waiting for the club to land him Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund after months of talks. Not only that have United failed to land their top transfer targets, they have struggled offloading some of their deadwood. Players like Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Sergio Romero, Andreas Pereira and Jesse Lingard remain at the club with no departure in sight.

Prediction

Unless there is a remarkable flurry of transfer activity at Old Trafford it's difficult to see United finishing inside the top three again this season. They only claimed third from Chelsea on goal difference this season and the Blues have spent more than five times as much as United on new players this summer. They shouldn't even think about Manchester City and Liverpool this season. With Arsenal, Wolves and Tottenham all signing new players, Solskjaer should be more concerned about hanging onto fourth place in 2020/21.

Predicted League Finish: 4th