Manchester United have endured a frustrating summer thus far, with the biggest high-profile failing being the unsuccessful pursuit of Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann, and it’s put Jose Mourinho in a difficult position.

The Red Devils have bolstered their defensive ranks with the addition of Victor Lindelof from Benfica but continue to chase improvements in midfield and attack, with the loss of Zlatan Ibrahimovic putting Mourinho’s side under a lot of pressure.

United’s chase for a striker seems to have gone cold, with links to Real Madrid’s Alvaro Morata appearing less and less over the course of the past week, and instead the Red Devils have been heavily linked with Chelsea’s Nemanja Matic.

The Serbian ace is keen on a reunion with Jose Mourinho and it’s understood he wanted to make the move to Old Trafford last summer when his former Portuguese boss landed the job in the North West- and it seems a deal may finally go ahead.

Unfortunately for Manchester United though, the addition of Matic is not a game-changing transfer that can strike fear into the heart of the rest of the Premier League and instead raises questions as to how much he’d genuinely play.

United need depth ahead of their return to the Champions League next season but in reality Matic is no better than the current options Manchester United have, so the Red Devils are hardly making a significant upgrade.

Add to the fact that Matic is reportedly the third name on United’s midfield wish-list and it becomes clear Mourinho is settling rather than going for broke, which is a dangerous tactic due to the wealth of talent rival Premier League clubs will be making.

Manchester City have already spent big to land Bernardo Silva and Ederson, whilst Liverpool have also made a significant move by bringing Mohamed Salah back to the Premier League- with both sides improving their squads in key areas.

Arsenal continue to be linked with record signings and Chelsea are reportedly set to splash £240m in the market, which raises pressure on a Manchester United side who seem to be finding it difficult to get major deals over the line.

July is set to be a crucial month for the Red Devils and their preparations for the new Premier League season but they have plenty to contend with, as they commence their extremely busy tour of North America- with an abundance of pre-season fixtures.

With a wealth of fixtures and struggles to get major signings through the doors, Manchester United’s summer strategy will come under scrutiny- especially as their busy pre-season campaign could lead to issues later on in the season.