MANCHESTER UNITED CURRENTLY FACING YET ANOTHER UNPRECEDENTED SITUATION BUT WILL THE DAMAGE LEAVE LONG TERM IMPLICATIONS : HAVE THE RED DEVILS EXPERIENCED WORSE ?

Manchester United have certainly had their share of uncomfortable situations in the past couple of seasons. 

Situations which in all honest were anticipated to happen but the rapidness of the effects some of these situations has had on Manchester United football was never really any outcome everyone associated with Manchester United football club had to be overly concerned about in terms of derailing any of the football Manchester United had planned for the immediate future. In fact, looking back on Manchester United's most recent history, the most recent unexpected situation Manchester United has faced had been the premature termination of previous club manager Jose Mourinho tenure as club manager in just a few months after the Portuguese manager had put pen to paper in signing a new contract to extend his term as club manager.  

The premature termination of Jose Mourinho’s term left the Red Devils to complete the rest of the season with then-interim manager Ole Gunner Solskjaer. A situation that neither the Manchester United Board of Directors or the Manchester United fan base surely found pleasant to be in. However, compared to the idea of Manchester United board of directors witnessed a packed Old Trafford stadium yet the quality of football produced by the Manchester United team was simply sub-par versus the current situation where fans are left with no choice but to avoid trips to the stadium and yet witness their beloved Manchester United team continue to secure good results on the football pitch, surely the choice of avoiding trips to the stadiums on match days suddenly is easier to swallow for football fans right? 

Undoubtedly the current state of empty stadiums faced by not just multiple football clubs but also various sports franchises worldwide is certainly one that is justifiable considering the recent health scare around the world. While the immediate impact of the situation might lead to results such as a drop in the level of attention to football by football fans, the long term implications of the situation for Manchester United might lead to a substantial loss in profits estimated to be made through ticket sales this which might impact any potential transfer business expected to be made by Manchester United football club during the 2020 summer transfer window. 

The need for a second striker signed to a permanent contract has been the main project Manchester United was expected to embark on during the upcoming 2020 Summer transfer window. With quality strikers such as Paco Alcarcer and Jodan Sancho, all scheduled to be available during the summer, Manchester United is reportedly ready and willing to splash the cash for any one of these available strikers if the big money spent in the summer will result to the Red Devils signing the right striker that fits into the football club in terms of demands of the high quality expected to be delivered by any Manchester United striker on consistent bases.  

However, in terms of matters concerning the upcoming summer transfer window, there is still the unfortunate reality yet to be resolved which the dreaded Cov-19 virus which has simply halted movement, not just in a physical sense but also in an economic sense and as a result has further halted all sporting activities until April 2020 in the very least. So here is the big question, should a solution to the virus fail to manifest by the end of the 2020 summer transfer window, will Manchester United choose the option of signing Odion Ighalo on a permanent base or let go of Ighalo and risk challenging for major trophies with two strikers Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood?  

One fact remains certain, The Red Devils can not afford to complete the rest of the season (whenever the current season resumes) with one striker and Manchester United certainly cannot afford to head into next season placing the workload of being the one reliable healthy striker for the entire season on Anthony Martial. While young striker Mason Greenwood has certainly proven the decision made by manager Ole Gunner Solskjaer to include Greenwood in Manchester United's first team was the right decision with Greenwood showing magnificent form starting games and coming off the bench, manager Ole Gunner Solskjaer appears unsettled with the idea of trusting the 18-year-old striker with the massive responsibility of sharing the lead role of spearheading Manchester United's attacking force with experienced striker Anthony Martial next season.  

All signs point to current on loan striker Odion Ighalo handed at least a one year contract to remain at Old Trafford for one more season. However, while signing Odion Ighalo on a one year contract will be the more logical route to take considering how the current health situation around the globe is projected to limit movement in the upcoming 2020 summer transfer window, Manchester United under Ole Gunner Solskjaer has proven to take the unorthodox route to success. In other words, the emergence of a new striker signed by Manchester United during the upcoming 2020 Summer transfer window should not be one outcome to be ruled out so easily. 

The situation around Old Trafford concerning the current COVID-19 virus and how the situation affects the rest of the 2019/20 season should be interesting, in a football sense of cause, to watch unfold in terms of where Manchester United will land in the current 2019/20 Premier League table whenever the current season eventually comes to an end and the next season finally kicks off. 


One fact appears certain, while Manchester United fans currently show signs of slight restlessness with the lack of football scheduled to take place in the next coming weeks or the lack of football scheduled to take place for the next few months around Old Trafford, the level of interest and high spirit received from the fans have remained at a high volume presumably because Manchester United fans have witnessed Old Trafford face big obstacles, maybe not one with this same level of ramifications, but serious situations none the less and Manchester United have consistently found ways to bounce back from major obstacles in the clubs' history.  

Concerns over the lack of football currently imposed on Old Trafford will continue to be a less than stellar situation for the fans but compared to the bigger picture of maintaining the health safety of the public, certainly, Manchester United fans have faced worse dilemmas than no football for a couple of months.