When Erik ten Hag took over Manchester United, he had identified a few areas in urgent need of reinforcements. He had handed over his list of preferred targets and the club sluggishly went about trying to recruit those players.
The Dutchman had identified the defence as the most vulnerable area in desperate need of quality. Left-back Tyrell Malacia and centre-back Lisandro Martinez arrived to shore up a leaky defence which had conceded 57 times last season.
The midfield was another area which had been neglected for far too long. While the club could not manage to get the manager his preferred target in Frenkie de Jong, Real Madrid star Casemiro did arrive to add much needed bite and steel.
The attack also needed an injection of pace and another Ajax star Antony is the man tipped to make the move to Old Trafford. The future of Cristiano Ronaldo also needs to be sorted soon.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag wants another right back to put pressure on Diogo Dalot.
Ten Hag is willing to sell Aaron Wan-Bissaka if a reasonable bid comes in for the right back.
đź—ž @hirstclass; @cc_eckner #MUFC
— United View (@unitedviewtv) August 25, 2022
Once an attacker arrives, Ten Hag is set to shift his focus to the right-back spot where United do have two options but the manager does not rate Aaron Wan-Bissaka due to his awkwardness with the ball at his feet.
Diogo Dalot had a nightmare first two games but did end up producing a blinder against Liverpool but the Dutch boss is keen on adding competition for the slot.
AWB out, new RB in?
A number of right-backs are on United’s radar. The list is quite extensive but the Red Devils first need to offload Wan-Bissaka before going ahead with bringing a new full-back. The 24-year-old did come on in the dying stages of the match against Liverpool.
Till now, only Crystal Palace have shown concrete interest but they will not come close to the amount United had paid for him three years ago.
According to The Times, Barcelona full-back Sergino Dest was looked at by United but the American wants to stay and fight for his place in Xavi’s team.
The other names looked at by the Old Trafford club include Denzel Dumfries of Inter Milan and Thomas Meunier of Borussia Dortmund. Even Olympique Lyonnais’ Malo Gusto and Vanderson of Monaco are on the list if reports are to believed.
Dumfries will be a difficult acquisition considering his price and the fact that he arrived in Milan only one season ago while Dortmund have categorically stated that Meunier is not for sale.
As reported previously, if no deal is possible at the end of the transfer window, Brandon Williams is likely to remain as a back-up option. The young Englishman will assess his options in January.
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