United are coming back better and stronger

NOW is not an easy time to make predictions in football; so much remains uncertain and unclear. But whenever the English Premier League does return, I expect we’ll be watching a stronger and more confident Manchester United.

Things can change fast in football and even more so during extraordinary situations such as the current crisis.

Just think back to Jan 22; I know it now seems like about a year has passed since then but it was almost exactly three months ago. On a cold Manchester night, United lost 2-0 at home to Burnley.

They left the pitch to jeers from the few fans who had bothered to stay to the end to express their anger. In his post-match press conference, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admitted that “it wasn’t good enough”.

He was a man under immense pressure and faced a trip to Tranmere in the English FA Cup a few days later, a game that was deemed to make or break for him to keep his job. A 6-0 win bought Solskjaer a little time and respite.

Four days later, Bruno Fernandes joined United from Sporting Lisbon.

The Portuguese star brought with him the guile, creativity, and spark that United had lacked for most of the season.

He didn’t leave any confidence behind either; bossing his new teammates around from day one, demanding more of them, and acting like a natural leader.

Fernandes is being talked about as a legend in the making at Old Trafford and has already been compared to Paul Scholes and Eric Cantona. It’s a bit early for that but he has given the whole club a lift, a new energy, and a renewed sense of belief.

All of those things will serve United very well whenever football does return in the months ahead. And who knows, even Paul Pogba might finally put his boots back on again and start earning his considerable salary.

Many United fans are understandably excited at the prospect of a Fernandes-Pogba partnership developing in midfield. There are some suggestions that Pogba may now want to stay after seemingly spending most of the season agitating for a move.

Whether the French star is still there or not, United are clearly going to be active in the transfer market whenever it opens. Some of the players they’re being linked with will have supporters even more excited.

Jadon Sancho of Borussia Dortmund has been on United’s radar for a while and though he wouldn’t be cheap – he’d probably cost a minimum of £100mil (RM546mil) – a signing like that would be a massive statement of intent.

Back in the January transfer window, a superstar in the making such as Sancho wouldn’t have been convinced of a move to Old Trafford. He likely would have been wary of a club in transition that looked a long way from challenging for major trophies.

Their journey back to that level is not yet complete but United have rediscovered the accelerator.

From a shambles not so long ago, Solskjaer’s side now only look a few pieces short of a much more complete picture.

Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish is another potential target who has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester. Like Sancho, he’s the sort of player who has fans shifting forwards towards the edge of their seats.

Even Harry Kane is being mentioned as possibly on Solskjaer’s summer shopping list.

Most football clubs are facing hard times right now but United have the financial resources to weather this storm much better than many of their rivals.

Whenever football does come back, United won’t be far behind.

Craig Wilkie. Football Writer. Football Coach. Football Fan.

The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of The Star