Manchester United have an early-season injury crisis to contend with at left back and with both Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia facing extended spells on the sidelines, the Red Devils are considering a late swoop for reinforcements in the position.
United fielded right-footer Diogo Dalot as a stand-in left fullback against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, though the Portuguese international looked more than a little uncomfortable in Man Utd’s nervy 3-2 triumph over the Tricky Trees at Old Trafford.
Shortly after full time on Saturday, news started to emerge about Luke Shaw’s muscle injury, the severity of which was worse than initially anticipated and with the 28-year-old likely to be out until November and his understudy Tyrel Malacia’s return running along a similar timescale, United are prepared to act.
Erik ten Hag is also believed to be keen to bolster his options in midfield and a swoop for Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch could pursued before deadline day.
Manchester United’s left back transfer targets
Marc Cucurella
Twitter transfer guru Fabrizio Romano revealed that Man Utd had made contact with Chelsea on Sunday to discuss the framework of a deal to sign Spaniard Marc Cucurella. The move, which would most likely be a loan arrangement with no obligation to buy, would see the 25-year-old land at Old Trafford for the remainder of the 2023/24 season.
Cucurella has been a peripheral figure at Chelsea under new boss Mauricio Pochettino so far this term and the ex-Brighton star is one of a number of Blues players who endured a torrid time during the 2022/23 campaign. Cucurella’s popularity with supporters at Stamford Bridge could hardly be at lower levels at present and the former Barcelona academy youngster might welcome the opportunity to start afresh in Manchester.
🚨🚨🌕| #mufc have explored a loan deal for Marc Cucurella and have other possible options but could yet choose to stick with Diogo Dalot and Alvaro Fernandez. [@TheAthletic] pic.twitter.com/unAcRMHSjt
— centredevils. (@centredevils) August 28, 2023
Sergio Reguilon
One of football’s forgotten men, Spanish defender Sergio Reguilon is still on Tottenham Hotspur’s books, despite having been sent out on loan to his homeland twice in the last three seasons.
The 26-year-old, who came up through the ranks at Real Madrid, was picked up by Spurs for close to £30m in 2020 but despite a bright start, the fullback eventually fell out of favour and failed to win back his place under successive managers.
Reguilon has been capped six times by Spain and he made one appearance for La Roja and the World Cup in Qatar. The left back’s career has stalled over the past couple of years at club level however, and he would be considered an uninspiring pick-up by most United fans.
Marcos Alonso
Completing a trio of Spanish transfer targets, Marcos Alonso has been earmarked as another possible solution to United’s issues at left back. The versatile 32-year-old is currently plying his trade in Spain’s La Liga with champions Barcelona, who he had a bit-role role with last season, racking up just 11 starts in the top tier with another 13 appearances off the bench.
The former Chelsea man actually scored for Barca against United in last season’s Europa League, though Los Cules were ultimately eliminated by their Premier League opponents after the second leg in Manchester.
Despite links with United becoming more audible, Alonso is believed to be content with life in Catalonia and a return to England isn’t believed to appeal to him. Alonso played for Barcelona in their 4-3 victory at Villarreal at the weekend.
