Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Second Man Utd midfielder pursuit comes to light as multiple ‘offers’ detailed, leaving Ten Hag choices

Houssem Aouar, Tomas Soucek, Lyon v West Ham, April 2022

Manchester United’s January transfer window is hotting up on the final day, following reports that Houssem Aouar has been offered to the club.

The midfield at United before this season left a lot to be desired. Fans were not too enamoured with having Scott McTominay and Fred starting together.

This season, following a couple of big summer signings, those concerns are a thing of the past.

Indeed, Christian Eriksen and Casemiro have made the midfield positions their own. The pair are two of the best performing players in United’s side at the moment.

The club can thank the pair, in part, for their fantastic run at the moment, which sees them fourth in the Premier League, level with Newcastle United in third.

As such, it will be a major blow to everyone at the club that Eriksen has picked up an injury. The severity of that blow means he is set for a couple of months on the sidelines.

Suddenly, the outlook of United’s season looks different, with a huge asset no linger available.

As such, Erik ten Hag was forced to explore options in order to sort his midfield problems.

Aouar on United’s midfielder shortlist

Foot Mercato reports Lyon midfielder Aouar was one of the names on Ten Hag’s shortlist to fill that void. That report suggests United were ‘ready to’ pay his full salary as part of a loan deal.

However, that potential move seems to have been stopped in its tracks, with Marcel Sabitzer now United’s preferred option.

Indeed, reports have suggested Sabitzer has agreed to join United.

That the Austrian has usurped any potential move for Aouar is reinforced by Sky Sports.

Four midfielders ‘offered’ to United

Indeed, they report that four midfielders were offered to United on deadline day. Those were: Aouar, Isco, Saul Niguez and Yannick Carrasco.

Indeed, it seems United had their pick of a few quality options that could have taken the place of Eriksen.

However, they state United ‘decided not to pursue’ any of those options because they wanted Sabitzer. That they have kept faith in him seems to have paid off, with the deal seemingly not far away.

Whether or not that was the right option remains to be seen. One thing is for sure, Sabitzer is a dynamic midfielder who has an eye for goal and for a pass.

United will know if they’ve made the right decision soon enough.

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