FM22 Manchester United guide: Squad analysis, transfer budget and managerial expectations

Football Manager 2022 arrived in early access this week, and for anyone thinking they could manage Manchester United better than the real thing, Sports Interactive has built out a complete simulation of the club's current state—right down to the injury table and the five-year contract expectations waiting on your desk.

The game calls the club Man UFC, a quirk born from a trademark settlement between the club, the game's publisher, and Sega. But the squad inside is unmistakably United's: Cristiano Ronaldo fresh off his summer return, Raphael Varane arrived from Real Madrid, Bruno Fernandes anchoring the midfield. When you start a new save in July 2021, you'll face Ed Woodward in your first meeting as manager. He'll lay out the club's vision with the kind of clarity that leaves no room for misinterpretation. Qualify for the Champions League this season—that's required, not optional. Reach the FA Cup final. Make the Champions League semi-final. By the end of 2022/23, you're expected to challenge for the Premier League title. By 2025/26, you're meant to have built the most reputable team in world football while maintaining the domestic crown. Your contract expires at the end of the 2023/24 season, which means you have roughly three years to prove yourself before the board decides whether to keep you.

The immediate constraints are real. United's transfer budget for the 2021/22 window sits at £30 million—modest for a club of this size, especially after spending on Ronaldo, Varane, and Jadon Sancho over the summer. The weekly wage bill is capped at £200,000. Next season the budget rises to £57.42 million, but for now you're working with what's left. Your assistant manager Mike Phelan suggests the squad is best suited to Control Possession, Tiki-Taka, or Fluid Counter-Attack, and the game will walk you through formation and player role selection once you choose your preferred style.

The squad itself numbers 27 players: four goalkeepers, nine defenders, nine midfielders, and five forwards. Ronaldo is the standout, with perfect 20-out-of-20 ratings in penalty-taking, determination, and natural fitness, plus 19s in finishing, heading, anticipation, and leadership. He's valued between £14 million and £17 million. Varane brings elite defensive attributes—marking, tackling, and positioning all rated 17 out of 20. Fernandes has been the club's most consistent performer, with 19s in determination, stamina, and penalty-taking, and 18 of his attributes rated 16 or higher.

The youth prospects offer genuine intrigue. Mason Greenwood, at 20, already has finishing, pace, and determination all at 17 out of 20, and his form has kept the expensive Sancho on the bench. Shola Shoretire, just 17, shows flair rated at 18 out of 20 with room to grow. Amad, the winger signed from Atalanta in January, carries significant potential despite limited first-team minutes so far. In the under-18 squad, 16-year-olds Ethan Ennis and Omari Forson are both projected to reach the level of Paul Pogba.

But there are immediate problems. Marcus Rashford is out for three to four months. Alex Telles has a twisted ankle keeping him sidelined for up to three months. Phil Jones, Dean Henderson, Anthony Martial, and Donny van de Beek are also on the injury list. The squad's weaknesses, according to Phelan's assessment, include marking, positioning, and long throws—areas where tactical adjustment or recruitment will be necessary.

The strengths are there: young prospects throughout the squad, high stamina levels, natural fitness, established player partnerships, and reliable penalty-takers. But the weaknesses are specific enough that they'll shape your early decisions. You'll need to set up your coaching staff, organize your scouts, and handle the administrative work that determines whether a manager succeeds or fails. The question the game poses is straightforward: can you do better than the real manager facing these same constraints in the actual Premier League?