Morale-boosting and extremely welcome it may have been, but one home win over Newcastle was a classic case of papering over the cracks as far as Manchester United legend Roy Keane is concerned.
This is still a club in need of more than a mere lick of paint. The structural issues run deep, and we’re not just talking about the Old Trafford plumbing.
If reports are to be believed, only ten players – including Wednesday night’s heroes Bruno Fernandes, Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho – are guaranteed to survive Ineos’ very own ‘Red Wedding’ moment, a brutal, bloody cull of a misshapen Manchester United squad arguably long overdue.
Erik ten Hag looked like a man revitalised after beating top-seven rivals Newcastle by the odd goal in five, delivering a rousing speech ahead of next week’s FA Cup final re-match with Man City at Wembley.
But while Keane is backing Ten Hag to last the summer, he feels that the Dutchman can only succeed in this most scalding of hotseats if given the appropriate backing by an ownership group planning big signings, big departures, and big changes.
Big summer ahead for Manchester United under Ineos
“You do admire him. (Ten Hag) seems really upbeat. It’s a big win. But you’re not gauged at Manchester United about whether you beat Newcastle at home,” Keane, a seven-time Premier League champion under Sir Alex Ferguson, tells Sky Sports (15 May, 10pm).
“It’s about competing in the big games. You’re not going to win championships every year but you hope you’re competing. Man United have been nowhere near it.
“The big, experienced players haven’t done enough. Overall, the record, the amount of games they’ve lost, the goals they’ve conceded, the lack of goals they’ve scored, their position in the league… All these things are not good to look at.
“But you hope he’s given another chance in the summer.”
Keane feels that Man United need at least ‘four of five world-class’ signings.
Now, how you judge ‘world-class’ is another thing. Would United truly benefit, long-term, from signing established, readymade elite-level players?
The Red Devils have been burned in the recent past after prioritising reputations and personal trophy-hauls in the transfer market, with Ineos chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe insisting that United will not look to sign current ‘world-class’ stars but the next generation of them.
Expect less Raphael Varane’s and Casemiro’s in the Ineos era, and more Michael Olise’s and Jarrad Branthwaite’s.
A new era and a new approach at Old Trafford
“We go back to recruitment,” Keane adds, highlighting the biggest weakness of the haunting Glazer era. “They’ve got to buy, what, four or five world-class players?
“We’re talking about a couple of centre-halves, a couple of strikers, someone in midfield. (United are) a long way back.”
According to Fabrizio Romano, Man United are indeed planning additions throughout the spine of the side. A striker to ease the burden on an overworked Ramsus Hojlund is a top priority, while Branthwaite is one of multiple central defenders under consideration.