Manchester United. The heavyweights of English football. Their 20 top flight titles cannot be matched by anyone else, and although they have endured a tricky period since the departure of club legend Sir Alex Ferguson, but they are edging back towards being title contenders once again.
The ‘Man Red’ squad is stacked with talent in PES 2018’s Master League, and with a blend of youth and experience make the Reds a great club to take charge of on this year’s PES. RealSport brings you all you need to know when setting up with Manchester United.
Team rating
Man Red receive a 4 ½ star rating on PES 2018. This is made up by 87 forward, 85 midfield and 82 defence scores.
Formation
It’s hard to decide what system to go with for Manchester United (Man Red). Their default is a 4-3-3, and you could easily stick with this and move Nemanja Matic into a defensive midfield position. However, Juan Mata doesn’t fit into that system, and for that reason we have switched to 4-4-2 (4-3-1-2) formation, which resembles a diamond midfield.
Star stopper David de Gea (98 GK reflexes) has to go in goal, and in the back four we have gone for Antonio Valencia, Chris Smalling, Eric Bailly and Daley Blind.
The gritty Nemanja Matic (90 physical contact) is the midfield anchor, with Ander Herrera to his right and x-factor player Paul Pogba (89 kicking power) on the left. Juan Mata is the attacking midfielder with the dangerous Alexis Sanchez (92 explosive power) playing off star striker Romelu Lukaku (93 physical contact) in attack.
On the bench, go for Sergio Romero (79), Victor Lindelof (81), Matteo Darmian (79), Michael Carrick (80), Marouane Fellaini (80), Anthony Martial (82) and Marcus Rashford (80).
Tactics
If you do line up in this 4-3-1-2 formation, movement is going to be the key. Whether that comes from your full backs pushing on, from your midfielders or from the front two, it needs to happen to unlock the opposition defence.
Go to Game Plan on Team Management and change your Preset Tactics. Build Up should be altered to short-pass, and Positioning should now be flexible.
You should be looking to find your star players Paul Pogba (88 ball control) and Alexis Sanchez in space (90 dribbling), with Juan Mata (88 ball control) looking to pick out those men and make things happen.
Romelu Lukaku leads the line and he can hurt defences in a range of ways. His 88 speed allows him to run in behind, his 93 physical contact means he can hold the ball up and his 84 header means he can get on the end of crosses. You should never be out of ideas with him up front.
The Transfer Market
Starting transfer budget: £40 million
Starting salary budget: £10.7 million
Who should go
The squad is quite tight on PES 2018, and you can easily not let any players go. If you wish to bring in a couple of signings however, you need to make room and therefore we are letting one big name go.
That is Phil Jones. United have five centre backs as well as Daley Blind who can play in there, so one of them needs to be axed. With Marcos Rojo also able to play at left back, Jones should be shown the door. You can collect around £16 million for the England defender, saving just over £3 million from your salary budget.
Other than that, it’s just the fringe players who can go. Ethan Hamilton will struggle for game time with his 60 rating, so you should look to sell the central midfielder for around £600,000 and save £255,000 from your salary. It’s a similar tale for Scott McTominay, whose position is a centre forward on PES, making it very difficult for him to break into the team. The Scottish international has a value close to £700,000 with his current salary at £290,000 a year.
Loans
If you want to keep hold of McTominay and Hamilton, you could easily loan them out. The one name we want to send out for the season is Angel Gomes. Aged just 17, the attacking midfielder’s development looks promising, with his 64 rating likely to improve to 68 in two years’ time. Look to loan him out so he can get the game time he needs to perhaps get beyond that level and become a top player.
Who to sign
New transfer budget: £59.4 million
New salary budget: £14.3 million
Left back
Left back is the weakest position in the starting line up for Manchester United, and it is a clearly weak link with Daley Blind in there. With a big budget, no one is off limits, and you should go for the Brazilian Alex Sandro. The Juventus (PM Black White) left back has an 86 rating, which could improve to 87, and at the age of 26 he can be in your side for around five years. He’ll cost you around £20 million with a salary of £4.1 million a year. His best abilities include 90 stamina, 88 speed and 86 explosive power.
Alternative options
- Marcelo – Age 29, MD White (Real Madrid), OPR 88, EST 88, Value: £26m, Salary: £5m
- Filipe Luis, Age 32, Atletico Madrid, OPR 86, EST 84, Value: £22m, Salary: £4m
- David Alaba – Age 25, Other (Bayern Munich), OPR 86, EST 87, Value: £18m, Salary: £2.4m
- Jordi Alba – Age 28, Barcelona, OPR 84, EST 82, Value: £15m, Salary: £4m
- Ricardo Rodriguez – Age 25, AC Milan, OPR 82, EST 83, Value: £17m, Salary: £3m
Right wing
There is no genuine right winger in this Manchester United side, and if you do wish to play a 4-3-3, you need one. Top of your list, and this is a transfer that could happen in real life, is Real Madrid (MD White) man Gareth Bale. For a price around £36 million and a big salary of £5.9 million a year, you can get the Welshman’s 90 rating, which is starting to decline at the age of 28. His best stats include 95 speed, 93 explosive power and 90 kicking power.
Alternative options
- Antoine Griezmann – Age 26, Atletico Madrid, OPR 90, DEV 91, Value: £28m, Salary: £6.3m
- Dries Mertens – Age 30, Napoli, OPR 88, DEV 86, Value: £28m, Salary: £4.3m
- Philippe Coutinho – Age 25, Barcelona, OPR 86, DEV 87, Value: £22m, Salary: £4.6m
- Thomas Muller – Age 28, Other (Bayern Munich), OPR 86, DEV 86, Value: £30m, Salary: £3.4m
- Mohamed Salah – Age 25, Liverpool, OPR 85, DEV 86, Value: £19m, Salary: £4.8m
Contracts
Just one player at Manchester United has a contract running out, and that is Michael Carrick. At the age of 36, there is no point giving him a new deal.
Targets
Upon starting with Master League, you will receive a message from the club’s owner stating what is expected at Manchester United. This to be challenging for trophies every year. Winning the league title in your first year is a tough ask, but there is no reason why you can’t have a strong run in the Champions League, but a cup success is your most realistic goal, especially with a deep squad.
With Manchester United, you have the budget to build one of the best side’s in the world, and with young players coming through, you are well-equipped to be at the top of European football in a few years’ time.
Man Red squad ratings
Player | Age | Pos | OPR | DEV | S | W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Goalkeepers | ||||||
David de Gea | 27 | GK | 88 | 88 | £26m | £5m |
Sergio Romero | 30 | GK | 79 | 78 | £13m | £2.5m |
Joel Castro | 21 | GK | 70 | 73 | £4.5m | £1.3m |
Defenders | ||||||
Chris Smalling | 28 | CB | 83 | 82 | £18m | £3.4m |
Antonio Valencia | 32 | RB | 83 | 81 | £18.2m | £3.4m |
Eric Bailly | 23 | CB | 82 | 84 | £14.6m | £2.3m |
Victor Lindelof | 23 | CB | 81 | 84 | £18m | £3.7m |
Phil Jones | 25 | CB | 81 | 82 | £16m | £3.1m |
OPR = Overall Points Rating
DEV = Estimated development in 2 years
V = Value
S = Salary
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