The Manchester United boss is looking to bring in another defender from the Netherlands to fill the right-back position. Bayer Leverkusen right-back Jeremie Frimpong has become a Bundesliga star since he moved to Germany.
Many big European clubs showed interest in signing him, but he continues to play for Leverkusen. Erik Ten Hag prefers to build a team from scratch to inject his football philosophy into his team.
According to Sky Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg, Manchester United will try to sign Frimpong in January to strengthen their claim to finish the Champions League spot before the end of the season.
Ten Hag wants to sign a new right back to compete with Diogo Dalot. He is a starter and has appeared in almost every game for the club under the new manager. But a possible injury to him could upset Manchester United’s defensive harmony.
Manchester United’s right-back status
Frimpong is no stranger to Manchester, having come from the city’s academy youth product. In September 2019, Frimpong signed a four-year contract with Celtic as a professional footballer. He played 51 games for the Scottish side with 3 goals and 8 assists.
He later moved to the Bundesliga side on a four-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee in 2021. Reports suggest the fee is around £10m. At Bayer Leverkusen he has appeared 61 times with 6 goals and 12 assists to date. In Germany, the 21-year-old defender has attracted several big European clubs.
Manchester United have beaten some of the biggest teams like Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur this season. They even scored 3 against dominant Manchester City this season.
Ten Hag wants to create a team that offers consistent performance to end the dominance of Manchester City and Liverpool in the English Premier League.
The manager wants an upgrade to the not-so-impressive Aaron Wan-Bissaka. The English right-back has fallen down the order since the arrival of Ralf Rangnick last year. He also came closer to moving this summer. But no movement materialized.
Upon arriving at Old Trafford, Wan-Bissaka dealt with various injuries. If a suitable offer comes in, United will let their flop defender go.
Celtic inserted a sell-off clause into Frimpong’s contract while selling him to Leverkusen. United are keen to pay the right amount of money to stay in the Champions League next season.
But the problem is that Real Madrid are rumored to be in the running for his signature. As they also want a long-term replacement for the aging Carvajal. Manchester United have the financial power to rival Madrid for his signing. But sadly, Real Madrid can offer more in terms of trophies.
