Four problem positions Manchester United must fix in the summer transfer window

The prospect of the summer holds much more excitement than the final nine games of the season for Manchester United.

With a place in the top four and qualification for the Champions League being the only thing United have left to play for — and even that minor achievement looking unlikely due to the form of both north London clubs — the final stretch of the campaign has the makings of a dreary trudge. The summer, in contrast, looks alive with possibilities. Even if there is massive pressure on getting the big decisions right.

The biggest of all is the hiring of a new manager. With Ralf Rangnick set to move upstairs into an unclarified consultancy role, the club are hoping to find a permanent replacement for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. It's impossible to know if any of the candidates would be able to overcome the bewildering club hierarchy to succeed, but either Mauricio Pochettino or Erik ten Hag would certainly bring a defined style of play to the team and, hopefully, a bit of excitement again. Perhaps even some silverware at long last.

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Who United hire and how long they take to do it will largely define the business they do in the transfer market, and the sooner a new coach is in the better as it looks set to be yet another summer of change in the squad.

Five players — Paul Pogba, Edinson Cavani, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and Lee Grant — at the very least look almost certain to leave when their contracts expire and there could well be more bodies following them out of the door, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Anthony Martial, Donny van de Beek, Dean Henderson and even Marcus Rashford all facing uncertain futures.

Whoever takes over