Solskjaer, Carrick confident that £50m rising star could fit Man Utd mould

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and fellow coach Michael Carrick believe that Newcastle midfielder Sean Longstaff would be an ideal signing, according to a report.

Solskjaer is said to have a new midfielder high on his wish list for the January transfer window, with Scott McTominay’s absence compounded by another injury layoff for Paul Pogba.

Solskjaer confirmed that Pogba will need an operation on his foot and will be out for up to four weeks, leaving the Norwegian with Fred, Andreas Pereira, Nemanja Matic and James Garner to choose from in midfield.

The likes of James Maddison and Jack Grealish have been linked with a move to Old Trafford in the past and Longstaff was also on that list in the summer.

According to the Evening Standard, Longstaff remains a target for United, despite the Red Devils initially being put off by Newcastle’s £50m valuation of the 22-year-old.

The newspaper claims that Solskjaer and Carrick are confident that Longstaff could be a perfect fit as United look to add promising young talent to their team.

Longstaff enjoyed an impressive breakthrough season at Newcastle last season, having been given his debut by Rafael Benitez away at Liverpool on Boxing Day.

The Englishman went on to appear in eight of the next nine Premier League games but his season ended in March due to a knee injury.

Longstaff has since fully recovered, making 14 appearances in the top flight so far this season.

As for other targets on United’s radar, the Evening Standard claims that Declan Rice, Maddison and Christian Eriksen all have admirers at Old Trafford.

 

 

Eriksen is likely to be the cheapest option, given that his contract is set to expire at the end of the season and Tottenham could lose him for free if he is not sold this month.

Indeed, one report has said that Tottenham are willing to sell Eriksen for a base price of €20m, with Inter Milan said to be keen on bringing him to Italy.

In other United news, super agent Mino Raiola has again hit out at the club following his earlier comments on the Red Devils’ negotiations over Erling Braut Haaland’s future.

This time, Raiola has said that he “didn’t threaten anyone at Manchester United with a gun to buy back Paul Pogba”, with the Frenchman heavily criticised in the past few months.

“Alex Ferguson has gone straight against me and Paul, that is allowed, but where was he when his successors bought Paul back?” he continued.