Can Manchester United Still Attract Elite Players After Years of Instability?

As has been the case on numerous occasions in recent years, Manchester United are preparing for a major summer overhaul.

However, after enduring yet another trophyless campaign in M16, will they be able to secure all of their top targets over their competitors?

This time last summer, INEOS were entering the market in search of an entirely new frontline, setting their sights on the likes of Liam Delap, who ended up joining Chelsea from Ipswich Town, and Viktor Gyokeres, who signed for Arsenal from Sporting Lisbon.

The latter’s decision to snub United did ultimately pay off, given he was crowned a Premier League champion last week and is currently training for tomorrow’s Champions League final.

For Delap, though, his move couldn’t have been any further from successful. While part of his season was hampered by a hamstring injury, he could not cement a starting role even when fully fit.

In the times he did play, he was dismal. Delap made 28 league appearances for the Blues across 2025/2026, and returned just one goal and one assist.

Chelsea ended the term in 10th, meaning they won’t be playing any form of European football after the summer.

On the other hand, two players who chose United despite having other offers on the table, Benjamin Sesko and Bryan Mbeumo, will be playing in the Champions League.

Sesko rebuffed an approach from Newcastle United to make the switch to Old Trafford, while Mbeumo had his pick of the bunch, with Arsenal, Newcastle and Tottenham Hotspur all keen on prising him from Brentford at the end of 2025/2026 – all of whom would’ve allowed him to play in the UCL for the first time in his career.

Yet, the Cameroonian made it clear to Brentford that if they were to facilitate his sale, it had to be to United.

The attacking duo played integral roles in the side’s resurgence under Michael Carrick in the second half of the season, and will continue to do so as soon as 2026/2027 gets underway.

For now, several names on United’s shortlist have decisions to make over their futures, with perhaps the most notable one being Elliot Anderson.

Sports betting platforms are all pointing towards the coveted Nottingham Forest midfielder being Etihad-bound – even in the aftermath of Pep Guardiola’s departure.

Still, United will stay firmly in the race alongside their arch-rivals until Anderson is putting pen to paper on a new contract – which may have to wait until after the World Cup, given he has been included in Thomas Tuchel’s selection.

All it would take is a brief look at Mbeumo and Sesko’s years to make the youngster contemplate whether United would be a more beneficial move for his personal development.