3
Manchester United threw away a comfortable two goal lead in their recent stalemate against Tottenham Hotspur, with yet another defensive collapse in the second half.
The Red Devils have little time to recuperate, with high flying Aston Villa due in Manchester tomorrow for a visit, and Brighton to come shortly thereafter.
United have performed admirably under new manager Erik ten Hag, and find themselves through to their second domestic cup final of the season, having already lifted the Carabao Cup in February.
There remains more work to be done though, before the 20-time-English-Champions can truly challenge their noisy neighbours for the title.
The club have meticulously scouted a multitude of players scattered across Europe, hoping to shore up reinforcements for every position on the pitch.
According to DIEZ, United were out on another headhunting trip in Greece recently, with a scout present for Aris Thessaloniki FC’s 2-1 victory over Olympiakos in the Super League.
The player being studied was Aris forward Luis Palma, who would score the winner on the night with a sensational strike directly from a corner.
The Honduran International has been in inspired form for the Kitrinomavroi, scoring 11 goals and racking up seven assists in his 33 appearances this season.
Despite being linked with Portuguese club Braga and Spanish club Levante, Palma made the surprising move of signing with the Greek club on a four and a half-year deal in January, 2022.
It has clearly worked in his favour, with the likes of Rangers, Anderlecht and RC Lens all vying for his signature, alongside United.
Palma has a contract at the Kleanthis Vikelidis Stadium until June 2026 and the Greek side will look to extract full value for their star prospect, aware that trying to hold on to him may prove to be an exercise in futility.
The Honduran remains an interesting proposition for the Red Devils.
Diez cites Greek outlet Transfer Geeks, who claim that the United scout “was amazed” by the Honduran’s goal and the club will continue to monitor his situation, with a view to a permanent transfer in the summer.
Man United scout attended Aris-Olympiacos game yesterday.
Luis Palma was the player he was amazed with, he will follow his situation ahead of the summer transfer window#MUFC #ManUnited #LuisPalma #arisfc pic.twitter.com/tGTLtqBlKD
— The Transfer Geek (@thetransfergeek) April 27, 2023
United currently have the likes of Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Antony as options on either side of their attack, with young guns like Alejandro Garnacho and Facundo Pellistri backing them up.
A case could be made for a loan move for Pellistri, who requires more game-time to truly discover his feet at the highest level, and in that case, a further argument could be made for the signing of Palma as a more experienced replacement for the Uruguayan.
Expect more updates on this front soon enough.