Manchester United were disappointing all over the pitch last season and while steps have been taken to address the lack of goals, there is still work to do elsewhere.
Andre Onana raised question marks between the United posts, and in the centre of the park Ruben Amorim is still looking for the midfielder of his dreams to make his 3-4-2-1 system really tick.
Current options
United already have several players who can do a job in the midfield double pivot, but none of the current squad quite have the dynamism the head coach demands.
Casemiro is very much in the twilight of his career now and was linked with an exit earlier this summer, and Manuel Ugarte has blown hot and cold since joining from Paris Saint-Germain last year.
Ugarte performed well alongside Kobbie Mainoo against West Ham United, but then looked dreadful in the following match against Everton.
Midfield merry-go-round
United have been strongly linked with Sporting CP midfielder Morten Hjulmand, but reports indicate that the Dane would rather move to Juventus than be reunited with Amorim at Old Trafford.
But the Italian giants need to sell before they can buy, and top of their list of players to ship out is another United target, Douglas Luiz.
The Brazilian, who is not part of Igor Tudor’s training camp and does not feature at all in the manager’s plans, is the subject of Premier League interest.
Corriere dello Sport report that Nottingham Forest are in “pole position” for Luiz and have already “earned the player’s approval”, putting them ahead of Everton who are “also working on the deal”.
Gap in valuation
However, the door is still open for United to make a move as Forest are currently nowhere near Juventus’ €40m valuation for the 27-year-old.
The price tag is high for a player so obviously on the transfer list, but this the amount the Old Lady need to recoup to avoid making a capital loss on the Brazilian, who joined from Aston Villa for around €50m last year.
Forest are “stuck” at a valuation of between €30m and €35m which is currently of no use to Juventus. In a bid to get the player out of the door and claw back some money, the Turin side may be willing to consider a loan deal with an obligation to buy.
Should United make a move for Luiz they would effectively be handing Juventus Hjulmand, so it is not a decision the Old Trafford hierarchy will take lightly. Hjulmand and Luiz are joined by Atalanta’s Ederson on an impressive three-man shortlist for midfield reinforcements – whether United can get a deal over the line for any of them remains to be seen.
Featured image Francesco Pecoraro via Getty Images
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Joe Ponting
Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.
