United's lack of action means they'll flounder again

Could United be waiting for the final whistle on May 14 still considering what to do with the manager?

London - It wasn’t just getting Antonio Conte that pleased Chelsea; it was the timing of the appointment. April 4, long before the summer transfer window opens. The message was plain. Next season starts here. ‘We are pleased to have recruited one of the most highly regarded managers in world football, and equally pleased to do so before the end of the current season,’ said director Marina Granovskaia. ‘This aids our future planning.’

Indeed it does. There is a long list of potential Chelsea recruits, from Roma midfield player Radja Nainggolan to Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci, and when Chelsea next speak to them, or their agents, they can make it perfectly plain the direction in which the club are heading.

Chelsea cannot offer Champions League football, but they can demonstrate a degree of stability. They know the coach, they know how he wants to play, and they will know where any new signing fits in his team.

It is the same at Manchester City. Some say it was a mistake to confirm Pep Guardiola’s appointment on February 1, but City had already lost crucial Premier League games to West Ham, Tottenham, Liverpool, Arsenal and Stoke by then, and trailed Leicester by three points. Whatever the consequences, substantial rebuilding was needed and at least the club could begin selling their new direction before the market was tapped out.

City cannot guarantee Champions League football to Paul Pogba next season, but they can promise the chance to work with Guardiola, and to be at the heart of his project. They can tell players their role; they can say who is in and out.

And then there is Manchester United. They can give no assurances of the Champions League, either - but, equally, none of the future. When United speak to the representatives of, for instance, Romelu Lukaku, who do they say will be in charge next season? Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Mauricio Pochettino, Ryan Giggs - maybe another coach, as yet unknown? In all likelihood, a single Champions League place is up for grabs - one presumes Leicester, Tottenham and Arsenal will get over the line - yet everything at Old Trafford remains shrouded in uncertainty. It can hardly be presumed that, behind the scenes, chief executive Ed Woodward has a detailed roadmap. Not on the evidence of recent transfer windows, when so much at United seemed haphazard.

Woodward doesn’t want to sack another manager, we know that. After such wonderful stability it reflects poorly on his regime that United could be looking for a third manager in three years since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.

One suggestion is that United are waiting to see whether they qualify for the Champions League next season, before making a call on Van Gaal. Yet how can that be? United lost the 2011-12 title to Manchester City on pretty much the last kick of the season. Suppose this season ends similarly? Could United be waiting for the final whistle on May 14 still considering what to do with the manager? Could a moment that may be decided by a referee’s judgment call, or an unlucky deflection, end up shaping policy at Old Trafford?

Surely, United know now whether Van Gaal is the right man for the job. Surely, they can weigh up the embarrassing European exits and the indifferent league form, against the vast changes that have been implemented, the unfortunate injuries and the promise of youth, and decide if this is what they want. The alternative could be that on the final day of the season an 89th-minute shot by Bournemouth’s Max Gradel hits Phil Jones on the backside, goes in and, on this, Van Gaal is sacked. Of course, if Van Gaal is leaving, it would be dangerous to announce that now. United will have seen what happened to City and Manuel Pellegrini, and will be fearful of demotivating the players.

They are, in many ways, trapped. The only way they can match the confidence of Manchester City and Chelsea in transfer discussions is to come out and confirm that Van Gaal stays next season. Yet they seem reluctant. Maybe Woodward thinks that with a year of Van Gaal’s contract remaining, certainty is implied.

But it isn’t. There has been too much speculation, too many rumours for Van Gaal’s continued presence to be presumed. Anyway, how do United sell this season’s ethos, considering much of the positivity has come from the young players?

We admire United’s promotion of youth, but does that play as well beyond these shores? It will be an irony if United’s stability works against them - but if they do have a plan in place for next season, it’s the best-kept secret in town.

Daily Mail