Manchester United's first summer transfer could be bad news for two Solskjaer favourites

The hardest task for Erik ten Hag this summer might well be deciding which positions in his squad need urgent attention and which others can be delayed for another year.

Not even the appearance of Ten Hag at Selhurst Park on Sunday could do enough to cover the issues Manchester United have on the pitch, as they fell to yet another defeat to bookend a dreadfully disappointing season. The Dutchman won't have seen anything he didn't already know about United last weekend, though the manner of their defeat will have further emphasised what a daunting task he has on his hands.

United are already getting to work on a number of potential transfer deals to kickstart their summer in the best possible way, and in particular, they are looking at strengthening a defence that leaked 57 goals this season — 31 more than both Man City and Liverpool.

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Jurrien Timber and Pau Torres are both of strong interest to the club as they look to sign a new centre-back this summer, while there are plenty of others who have been linked with a move. United's need for a new central defender not only stems from their issues this season but also the fact that Eric Bailly, Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe could all leave United in the summer.

It is clear why United want to bolster their ranks in the off-season, but it is far from the scenario United envisaged when they spent £42million to sign Raphael Varane a year ago.

One of the few highlights from the past season came when Varane was paraded in front of a packed Old Trafford ahead of their thrashing of Leeds on the opening day. There was a real sense of excitement in the air that United had managed to sign such a world-class