United miss out on late swoop for colossal defender who has been “undisputed leader” of side’s defence – report

Manchester United’s January window passed with little fuss as no first-team members were added to the squad. Summer focus With performances improving on the pitch, interim manager Michael Carrick has won his first three matches in charge, providing signs of optimism for the squad. United are currently sitting in fourth place and will hope to secure Champions League football for next season. The club’s focus has always been on the summer window, where they hope to strengthen their midfield department, with interest in players such as Carlos Baleba, Elliot Anderson and Adam Wharton. The Red Devils are also keen to strengthen other parts of their squad, despite the focus on midfield, and also see defence as an area they could bolster. This is especially true in the context that Harry Maguire may leave at the end of the season and Matthijs de Ligt has been suffering from a long-term injury. This reportedly led to their failed pursuit of Dutch defender Justin de Haas. Justin de Haas Spanish site superdeporte.es reports that, “Manchester United, a Premier League powerhouse, had been monitoring Justin de Haas when Valencia CF recently secured the signing of the Famalicão centre-back for the next four seasons.” It is stated that United scouts had recently contacted the Dutch player, who came through the PSV Eindhoven academy. The outlet states that, “the entry of a club with the aura and financial power of Manchester United was the final push that allowed Valencia to accelerate their efforts.” Valencia had originally planned to do a deal in the summer, but plans had to be brought forward due to pressure from United and Portuguese giants SL Benfica and Sporting CP, who also had their eye on the giant defender. Famalicão also fought to secure a contract extension for their defender, but Valencia acted faster than anyone else for the player, as there was a feeling that if they were to wait, they would have almost certainly lost the defender to United or someone else. The website goes on to state that, “De Haas’s importance to Famalicão’s defence, of which he is the undisputed leader, is evident in the team’s performance in the Portuguese league under Hugo Oliveira” as they push for a Conference League place. United’s search for defensive reinforcements will now need to continue into the summer window. Justin de Haas season stats Matches playedGoalsAssistsMins played 20301800 Source: transfermarkt.com The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.