Not many Premier League teams have acted as briskly as Manchester United this summer. The signing of Joshua Zirkzee has already been confirmed, and as many as three others are in the pipeline.
Central defence appears to be the obvious priority, with moves for Jarrad Branthwaite, Leny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt all pointing towards Erik ten Hag’s desperate desire to improve his fractured backline.
Regardless of how far United go to complete the overhaul of their defence, there remain problems in other positions. The ongoing argument over whether they need another left-back continues to rumble on, and finding the perfect partner for Kobbie Mainoo is an ongoing mystery.
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Dan Ashworth’s role as sporting director means there’s a different scope and ideology in the club’s process in the window. After previously working at Newcastle and Brighton, the 53-year-old is well-equipped to make the right decisions in the transfer market.
At Brighton, he brought Moises Caicedo, Alexis Mac Allister, Evan Ferguson and Kaoru Mitoma to the AMEX Stadium. In his role with Newcastle, he played a big role in bringing Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon and Sven Botman to the club.
Furthermore, there were a number of players being tracked by the Magpies during Ashworth’s tenure as sporting director on Tyneside. Here, MEN Sport takes a look at xxx players who could now be on United’s radar.
Adam Wharton
Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton made a name for himself in the second half of last season after his move from Blackburn. Before his move to south London, though, interest in him was well-known.
In fact, towards the end of the 2022/23 season, Ashworth was one of 30 scouts that watched the then-teenager in action for the Rovers against Coventry City. Newcastle were said to be keen on him, but he moved to Palace.
Goncalo Inacio
Newcastle’s defence had been improved following the signing of Botman, but after the Magpies crashed out of the Champions League in the group stage, plans were being prepared to improve the backline further.
Sporting CP centre-back Goncalo Inacio, who has a release clause of €60m, had been identified as a possible addition. The Portugal international has attracted plenty of interest over the last 12 months.
United’s pursuit of centre-backs could see them turn to Inacio before the likes of Liverpool or Real Madrid make a move.
Ousmane Diomande
Another talented defender from Sporting CP, Ousmane Diomande, is currently on the radar of a number of Premier League clubs. Chelsea and Arsenal have previously been tipped to sign him, but Newcastle had identified him as a potential reinforcement under Ashworth.
The Ivory Coast has a €80m release clause in Portugal, but at 20, he has plenty of potential to grow into and would fit the profile that United have targeted this summer.
Ederson
Atalanta midfielder Ederson is hot property this summer after helping the Italian side win the Europa League. The aggressive box-to-box midfielder had been linked with Newcastle in January in their long-term plan to replace Bruno Guimaraes.
Ederson has also been linked with a move to Liverpool. Ashworth was understood to have played a key role in Newcastle’s initial interest, and his strong and technical ability could be the ideal signing for Ten Hag’s midfield.
Mario Dorgeles
Perhaps an unknown player for many, but Mario Dorgeles is a highly-rated midfielder currently plying his trade in Denmark at FC Midtjylland. The 19-year-old was linked with a move to Tyneside under Ashworth, but Chelsea and Arsenal were competing.
The Ivory Coast Under-23 international turns 20 in August but is widely expected to become the new wonderkid who secures a move from Denmark to one of Europe’s top leagues after Ernest Nuamah, Ibrahim Osman, Kamaldeen Sulemana and Andreas Schjelderup.