Manchester United could turn to Sean Longstaff as they look to bolster their midfield options.
According to ESPN’s sources, a ‘midfield injury crisis’ has meant the Red Devils will take a look at a few options to try and improve the state of the midfield.
The report states that both Emre Can and Longstaff are amongst the potential new signings that could come to Old Trafford.
Solkjaer even admitted after his side’s 2-0 defeat to Arsenal yesterday that injuries to Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba could play a big part in his teams’ business in the upcoming window.
Both players are out for a fair chunk of time; Pogba is having surgery on his ankle which could take a month while McTominay could be out for two months with a knee ligament injury.
Who is the better Longstaff?
Matty Longstaff
Sean Longstaff
Not sure
Allegedly there are funds available at the club, however, these will only be allowed to be used if long-term targets become available.
Longstaff may well fall under that category, given that they were knocking at the door in the summer but didn’t fancy forking out £50m for the 22-year-old. Given the season he has had, United might feel quite satisfied they didn’t pay that much and might be hoping that their valuation has dwindled.
In fact, out of the 20 Premier League games this season, he has started just nine, coming on in five, assisting just the one goal without scoring any himself.
WhoScored haven’t particularly rated his performances, either. His average rating of 6.31/10 is one of the weaker in the squad, and his statistics aren’t a particularly pretty read: he averages just 0.9 key passes per game, 0.1 through balls, and has a passing percentage rate of 75.5.
Let’s say Manchester United were desperate to land the midfielder, then the club could be willing to part with him if that means they can get a better replacement. However, Steve Bruce will want to keep him around for the years to come but say they did make an offer of around £50m, then it would be hard to say no.