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Saturday's drab draw at Sunderland served as a timely reminder that Manchester United cannot solely target starters in the summer transfer window.
If United are to avoid another Champions League capitulation, they must vastly improve the squad as a whole.
All confidence of a result at the Stadium of Light vanished when Casemiro and Benjamin Sesko's absences emerged.
It is fair to say that if the 0-0 stalemate was an audition for a role next season, their replacements would not be receiving callbacks.
Mason Mount and Joshua Zirkzee join Altay Bayindir, Tyrell Malacia and Manuel Ugarte in being blatantly surplus to requirements.
Worryingly, several other players who are regulars in matchday squads and starting line-ups cannot be considered untouchable either.
Ruthlessly speaking, among those who featured at Sunderland, that includes Lisandro Martinez and Amad Diallo.
It is a time to be positive. And, realistically, United rotated in the North East because their job is all-but done. Champions League is sealed, soon third place will be too.
But we cannot pretend like seeing a startling drop-off when a few key players are missing is not something new. With one eye beyond the summer, that is a concern.
A busier schedule is on the agenda next season, thankfully. No-one is complaining about the Champions League anthem returning to Old Trafford.
Yet, can United expect the likes of Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and even Bryan Mbeumo, who has never played in European football, to start every match?
The answer is no. If United are actually internally aiming to challenge for the Premier League title by 2028, the time to get aggressive in the transfer market is now.
I understand that is made harder this summer by the World Cup, uncertainty over the head coach and many players who need replacing potentially being difficult to shift.
But if the Red Devils fail to prepare for the demands that come with their Champions League comeback, they risk crumbling back to square one.
So, over to you. How would you revamp the squad in the summer? Who has to stay, who goes and who do you bring in?
Get in touch with your views here
[BBC]
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