What if Manchester United don't actually need to sign Frenkie de Jong this transfer window? - The Warm-Up

MONDAY'S BIG STORIES Frenkie Says Relax Ad/> Frenkie de Jong to Manchester United update: there is no Frenkie de Jong to Manchester United update. Perhaps there will never be any Frenkie de Jong to Manchester United update, and everybody involved — Barcelona pointing towards the door, United waiting hopefully beyond it, De Jong ignoring them both — will remain locked in stasis through the summer and on for ever. TransfersBarca to follow up Lewandowski signing with Kounde bid — Paper Round9 HOURS AGO It turns out United can wait and chew gum, however, and the club have announced the signing of Lisandro Martínez.

He will arrive from Ajax with everything a modern footballer needs to succeed in the Premier League: sweet Youtube compilations; some built-in transfer bants with respect to a rival, in this case Arsenal; and a cool nickname. The Butcher of Argentina. Sausages to Lionel Messi, by appointment.

For the last couple of seasons, Martínez has been playing as a central defender, and United could clearly do with an improvement there. However, he's also played as a defensive midfielder, and United could certainly use some improvement there. And he's played at full-back, and, oh! You'll never guess what.

If we had to predict where he'll start his United career, we'd go with that little troublesome spot ahead of the back four. But in a sense, that's not really important. Indeed, beyond the simple business of having enough footballers to get through a campaign, we're going to suggest that it doesn't actually matter too much who United get in this summer and what they can do.