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Manchester United have agreed terms with Daley Blind. The signing of the versatile defender adds to a host of newcomers to Old Trafford, such as Luke Shaw, Ander Herrera, Marcus Rojo, and Angel Di Maria, with time remaining for more.
Some have already jumped to the conclusion that the summer has been a failure for the Red Devils, with poor performances reinforcing this view. A scrappy 0-0 draw yesterday with Burnley would have done little to change that perception.
However there are several reasons why United are still title challengers.
The first is the absence of fresh blood from the first two games of the season. While both performances against Swansea and Sunderland were underwhelming, we are yet to see a United premier league team featuring the additions to the side.
The likes of Shaw, and Herrera are now injured, Rojo is still troubled by the strict working visa laws in Argentina, and Di Maria and Blind are yet to play. When these players join, the starting XI will vastly improve.
Di Maria has attacking prowess, Rojo, Shaw and Blind have defensive capacity and the ability to whip in a cross, and Herrera is tenacious. Any side in the Premier League would quake in their boots at the prospect of facing a United team at full strength, given the rest of world class talent at the club in Juan Mata, Wayne Rooney, and Robin van Persie.
The second is the likely departure of under-performing players. While this has become an extensive list over the past season and a bit, removing the likes of Tom Cleverly, Nani, Javier Hernandez, and Shinji Kagawa will benefit the club as a whole.
It is a statement to other players that mediocrity is not accepted at Manchester United. While morale is low, particularly after the humiliating defeat at MK Dons, this would go some way to satisfying the world-class talent at the club, who are surely tired of the inability of some players to play their position.
Finally, and most significantly, is the role of new manager Louis van Gaal. A proven magician on the sideline, Van Gaal has a bold, stern, and innovative approach to the managerial position. He will demand the utmost from his players, something United missed under David Moyes.
United fans respect him and his vision, and the board should give him his due control, even when results might not be going their way. He has already shown his class by giving the captaincy to Rooney, which Rooney needed to reach another level. If Van Gaal had handed the armband to Van Persie, Rooney may have felt neglected, resulting in a repeat of his transfer antics.
Manchester United are one of the biggest clubs in the world, and despite a rough start to the season, they are likely to return to the top.
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