Sadio Mane's Liverpool transfer decision could hamper Manchester United's Darwin Nunez chase

It appears it won't only be a summer of change at Manchester United as it could also be an interesting few weeks just up the road in Liverpool.

The two sides couldn't be further apart at present. Liverpool, though licking their wounds after missing out on the Premier League title and losing in the Champions League final, remain an incredible team who lifted two trophies last season. There may be disappointment now considering what they could have achieved but they are still among the best sides in the world and have come a long way in just a few years.

United, meanwhile, have gone nowhere but backwards in that time, so much so that Liverpool's final failures were supporters' only cause for celebration over the last year. Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and then Ralf Rangnick they suffered embarrassing defeats and finished with their worst ever points tally in the Premier League. Yet, despite the chasm that separates them, the two great rivals are both facing pivotal summers.

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For United, the task couldn't be clearer. They have made a good start by getting Erik ten Hag in through the door early but now they need to recruit strongly and quickly in order to give their chosen man every possible chance to make an instant impact. There have been calls for patience due to the scale of the job on Ten Hag's hands and fans will no doubt be generous if there's a slow start. But just how far will that patience last if there is no clear sign of progress after a few months?

The club hierarchy must ensure that we never have to find out the answer and provide Ten Hag with the new players he needs to strengthen his poor and depleted squad and implement his style as