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Manchester United are riding high under new manager Erik ten Hag.
The Red Devils find themselves actively in the hunt for four honours this term, with the upcoming tie against Barcelona in the Europa League later today quite possibly determining their fate in Europe.
The centre back pairing will play a key role in proceedings against the Blaugrana, as United look to establish a first leg advantage at the Nou Camp.
Lisandro Martinez is unavilable for the tie due to suspension. The Argentinian has been a revolution following his highly anticipated move from Ajax in the summer, his passing range and knack of breaking the lines with balls into the final third a key cog in the United machinery.
Now, reports suggest United may have their eyes on another left footed CB come next season.
According to Football Insider, the Red Devils are keeping tabs on Olympique Lyonnais’s Castello Lukeba with a view to a permanent move this summer.
The French U-21 International, who only turned 20 in December, is regarded as one of the outstanding talents in his age bracket.
Lukeba’s stellar performances at the heart of the Les Gones defence earned him a nomination for the 2021/22 Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year award, eventually losing out on the prestigious accolade to Arsenal’s William Saliba, who spent last season on loan at Olympique Marseille.
A well rounded player, Lukeba has always displayed a great deal of calmness on the ball for his youthful years, and is an effective ball carrier, while also possessing the ability to play progressive passes from the back.
Lyon’s famed academy has turned out the likes of Karim Benzema, Sidney Govou, Nabil Fekir, Houssem Aouar, Ryan Cherki and Malo Gusto in the recent past, and Lukeba looks primed to follow in the hallowed footsteps of his highly accomplished peers.
With uncertainty over the futures of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof at Manchester United, the signing of Lukeba may well be an eventuality, rather than just a possibility.
Ten Hag has shown a general preference towards using left footed players at LCB, and Lukeba would be an ideal fit, if United do make good on their reported interest.
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