While Manchester United admire Jurrien Timber and Pau Torres, defence isn’t Erik ten Hag’s immediate priority. Instead, the Red Devils are focusing their efforts on bolstering their ranks in midfield and attack. But, when it comes to four specific players, they could end up missing out on them all.
Manchester United endured a nightmare season under Ralf Rangnick and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, finishing sixth in the Premier League table.
And they’re now primed to bolster their squad.
It’s already been announced that midfielders such as Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata will be on the move.
And yet more could follow the quartet out of the exit door as Ten Hag looks to mould the squad into his own.
Express Sport will now, however, take a look at four players who United are interested in – but could feasibly end up missing out on.
Erik ten Hag: Man Utd’s 25-man squad for next season with six signings
Frenkie de Jong
Ten Hag’s main target is Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong.
The duo previously worked together at Ajax, helping the Dutch side reach the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2019.
But while United like De Jong, a great deal, a move to Old Trafford isn’t guaranteed at the current moment in time.
De Jong has suggested his preference would be to stay at Barcelona, even if he’s struggled for consistency during his time in Catalonia.
And, if he was to leave, then he’d want to play in the Champions League – something United can’t offer.
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Antony
Ten Hag is also a huge admirer of Antony.
The Brazil international has drawn comparisons with Neymar and excelled last term, managing 12 goal involvements from 23 games.
But Ajax won’t allow the squad built by Ten Hag to be torn apart without a fight.
A fee of £70million has been mooted for Antony, who would likely slot in on the right-hand side of United’s attack.
United, at the current moment in time, don’t seem willing to go that high.
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Darwin Nunez
Few had heard of Darwin Nunez 12 months ago.
However, the Uruguay international is on the right track to becoming a household name having bagged 34 goals across all competitions.
United are cautious of rushing into a deal for the Benfica star but may end up regretting that.
Interest in the striker isn’t exactly in short supply given his fine goalscoring exploits.
And, like De Jong, he’ll likely prefer to be playing in the Champions League at that stage of his career.
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