Man Utd settle on attacking upgrade after shock Ten Hag failure sparks fears Barcelona will poach regular starter

Barcelona want to poach a regular Man Utd starter who the Spanish press report is not overly convinced by Erik ten Hag’s project at Old Trafford.

The common consensus is Erik ten Hag is slowly but surely turning Man Utd’s ship around. The Red Devils have meandered in the post-Ferguson era, and while it’s still early days, the Ten Hag era is showing positive signs across the board.

The club were previously beset by dressing room leaks, though they have been few and far between since the Dutchman took charge.

Furthermore, United were often criticised for their relative lack of effort and application compared to their top six rivals.

Ten Hag has implemented a higher intensity style and both goals they scored against Everton on Sunday came through winning back possession in dangerous areas.

Victor Lindelof hinted at the next stage of Man Utd’s evolution on the pitch in the post-match fallout. Furthermore, Ten Hag has urged the club to take a more ruthless approach to player contracts.

He doesn’t want his stars falling into comfort zones and feels the club have been far too willing to hand out lucrative extensions to players who weren’t deserving in the past.

Part of the change he seeks is for United to hold fire on triggering club options for one-year extensions for many of their stars.

One player who will be affected by the new approach is Diogo Dalot.

Fabrizio Romano on Dalot future

The Portuguese international, 23, has been Ten Hag’s number one right-back this season. His deal expires in 2023 with the club holding an option for a 12-month extension.

United reportedly want to tie Dalot down to a longer term deal and only if that can’t be achieved will they trigger the option.

However, Barcelona are known admirers of Dalot and Fabrizio Romano has confirmed they’ve launched several scouting missions.

Via Caught Offside, Romano provided an update on Dalot’s situation in Manchester.

“It’s absolutely too early to speak about a deal for Dalot,” said Romano. “Barcelona have sent their scouts to follow Diogo, they appreciate him but they are tracking many right-backs and not only the Portuguese.

“Man United have a clause to extend the deal for one more year, this is a point. For Sergino Dest, at the moment Barca have no plans to confirm him and that’s why he left to join AC Milan on loan.

“United could also give Dalot a new long-term contract, but talks are not advanced for the moment.

“He’s become an important player for Erik ten Hag, so let’s see if they can secure his future soon.”

Dalot has started all eight league matches this season and is firmly ahead of Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the battle for gametime.

However, according to Spanish outlet Sport, the player himself isn’t all that convinced with what he’s seeing.

Ten Hag fails to inspire?

Somewhat surprisingly, they report Ten Hag’s overarching project at Old Trafford is ‘not too convincing’ for Dalot.

Barcelona are desperate to sign a long-term right-back given the uncertainty over many of their options.

Hector Bellerin was signed as a free agent over the summer, though has made just two appearances thus far.

Sergino Dest was loaned out to AC Milan, while Sergi Roberto is now the wrong side of 30.

That’s led to centre-backs such as Jules Kounde often being deployed out of position at right-back this season.

Signing Dalot would clear up their mess once and for all. Diario Sport reckon United’s valuation of Dalot is just £3m more than what they paid in 2019 – £22m.

Via Sport Witness, it’s claimed Dalot has become a ‘priority target’ for Barcelona and their manager, Xavi.

A decision on whether to pursue a move isn’t likely to come until after the World Cup. Per Romano, a breakthrough on a new Dalot contract in Manchester also isn’t close.

As such, all eyes will be on Dalot’s situation once proceedings in Qatar come to a close.

Man Utd eye right-back upgrade?

There is little indication United have any intention of shifting Dalot. However, that’s not to say they don’t also want to sign an upgrade.

CalcioMercatoWeb recently reported Inter Milan’s Denzel Dumfries is in their sights.

The idea of axing Wan-Bissaka in January was floated and a direct replacement would be required.

As a Netherlands international, the connection to Ten Hag is an obvious one. The report stated Dumfries, 26, would welcome the chance to work with his fellow countryman.

Signing Dumfries would likely relegate Dalot to the bench through no fault of his own. However, one look at their respective attacking stats suggests Dumfries would represent an upgrade.

Since the beginning of last season in club football, Dumfries has bagged seven goals and nine assists from either right-back or right wing-back. By contrast, Dalot has returned zero goals and just two assists.

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