After getting their Premier League campaign underway with last-gasp success against Fulham, Manchester United have reportedly turned their attention towards another defensive reinforcement for Erik ten Hag.
Man Utd transfer news
It was far from convincing but the Red Devils managed to get over the line nonetheless, with Joshua Zirkzee announcing his arrival in style by scoring a late winner on his Premier League debut. Becoming an instant hero at Old Trafford, Zirkzee is one of four fresh faces to have arrived this summer, joining alongside Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui in a successful transfer window for all involved at Manchester United.
After an unconvincing opening display, however, Manchester United could yet add further reinforcements with their focus seemingly on both a midfielder, which could yet be Manuel Ugarte, and a new left-back to provide backup for the injury-prone Luke Shaw.
The likes of Ferdi Kadioglu were mentioned, but given that the Fenerbahce star is reportedly on his way to Brighton & Hove Albion, the Red Devils have set their sights on an alternative option.
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According to L’equipe, Manchester United now have Adrien Truffert in their sights alongside interest from Premier League rivals Liverpool, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest.
The Stade Rennais left-back has just returned to club football after winning a silver medal at the Paris Olympics, only denied gold by an excellent Spain side.
Now, with his medal secured, Truffert could be on the move. Just 22 years old, the Frenchman has shown plenty of potential and ticks the box for what Manchester United’s new-found transfer policy looks for, as highlighted by Zirkzee and Yoro in particular. With just two weeks left in the window, however, any deal will have to pick up pace fairly quickly for it to get over the line.
“Dynamic” Truffert can compete with Shaw
With those at Old Trafford will have eyes on the future if they signed Truffert this summer, the left-back would be keen to avoid becoming nothing more than a backup option and instead compete for Shaw’s starting place. Of course, the more that the England international struggles on the injury front, the more that his starting spot becomes vulnerable, perhaps allowing Truffert to steal in and claim it.
The 22-year-old has earned plenty of praise during his time at Stade Rennais, including from U23 scout Antonio Mango, who described the Frenchman as “such a dynamic full-back”.
A player who’s equally capable going forward as in defence, as the numbers presented by Mango highlight, Truffert could be quite the coup if Manchester United manage to fend off reported interest from Liverpool to land his signature. The left-back would be their fifth signing of the summer.
