1
The injury curse has once again struck Manchester United and the defence is the worst affected with Erik ten Hag currently having no specialist senior left-back to call upon.
Luke Shaw’s injury was a huge blow and the England international could end up missing the remainder of the season. Tyrell Malacia is yet to recover from a knee injury that has kept him out since pre-season.
The club took the huge call of terminating Sergio Reguilon’s loan in January which has proven to be a disastrous call while Alvaro Fernandez is set to earn a permanent move to Benfica after the manager did not trust him to start.
In the last few games, the Dutchman has been forced to start Victor Lindelof and Sofyan Amrabat in that position and safe to say, both have underwhelmed.
LB search
Considering the Englishman’s poor injury record and Malacia’s uncertain future, the club will need to strengthen at left-back in the summer.
The names of Miguel Gutiérrez, Tino Livramento have been doing the rounds and now, HITC Football have added Borussia Monchengladbach star Luca Netz to that list.
The 20-year-old has been one of the standout performers in Bundesliga, with five assists in 24 games and a host of European giants are plotting a summer move.
Apart from the 20-time English league champions, the Germany U21 international is also being watched closely by Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle United and West Ham.
Bayern Munich, who are expected to lose Alphonso Davies at the conclusion of the current term, are also going to be in the market for a replacement. And we all know what usually happens when the Bavarian giants are interested in a young German star.
Young German ace in the crosshairs
“Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United, Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United and Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea all are showing interest in Luca Netz.
“West Ham United also watched Netz earlier in the season. HITC has been told that Netz is on Bayern Munich’s radar as well. The Germany Under-21 international left-back is someone Bayern are assessing ahead of this summer when they are likely to lose Alphonso Davies.”
Netz joined Monchengladbach back in 2021 from Hertha Berlin and currently has a market value of €10 million according to Transfermarkt with his current deal valid until 2026.
He has been described as a “great talent” who’s “totally carefree, but also cheeky” by former manager Adi Hutter. The defender, who is 6ft tall, is strong in aerial duels and adept at crucial blocks while defending.
This race could get heated in the months to come and INEOS will need to act fast if they are serious about overcoming Bayern in the race.
