Erik ten Hag has overseen an overhaul in terms of defensive personnel and the players he has brought in have contributed greatly to Manchester United’s current four-match winning streak in the Premier League.
Both Tyrell Malacia and Lisandro Martinez have quickly established themselves as regulars in the first XI, while Raphael Varane and Diogo Dalot have been exceptional with the Dutchman.
It is no secret that the former Ajax manager has insisted on the need to have two players for each position given this year’s condensed football calendar.
AWB about to go out?
And one position United are currently short of is at right-back. Dalot is the undisputed starter under the new manager, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s days as Red Devil appear to be numbered.
Both #mufc and Chelsea took an interest in Denzel Dumfries in the summer. Both received the same answer: the player was not 100% convinced of a move, due to the World Cup. [@FabrizioRomano, United Stand YT]
— The United Stand (@UnitedStandMUFC) September 19, 2022
It was deemed over the requirements in the summer and the Old Trafford club attempted to sell it to the highest bidder. Despite interest from former club Crystal Palace and West Ham, neither move ended up materializing.
It is well known that the United hierarchy insisted on keeping the Englishman because they did not want such a huge loss on their initial spending.
The £45m man is not the strongest in terms of his attacking game and is not as comfortable on the ball as Dalot and therefore Ten Hag wanted to land a backup for the Portuguese in that role.
Sergino Dest reportedly came fairly close to sealing a move to the Premier League, but after United’s outlay on Antony, the American opted to move to AC Milan.
Another name continually linked with the Red Devils was Denzel Dumfries. The Inter Milan player was targeted by both United and Chelsea.
Will United regain interest from Dumfries?
According to transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano, the prospect of having the Dutch team eliminated for the World Cup was an important decision for the Dutch winger to stay in Italy.
“Both Manchester United and Chelsea were interested in Denzel Dumfries in the summer. Both received the same response: the player was not 100% convinced of a move, due to the World Cup,” Romano said during a Youtube interaction.
Dumfries follows other Dutch players like Jurrien Timber and Frenkie de Jong who refused to move from their club in hopes of making the World Cup squad.
However, next summer could be the ideal time to pounce on the 26-year-old who is said to be willing to move on once the quadrennial masterpiece is over.
“For [Denzel] Dumfries would keep the situation open, not just for January, but for next summer,” added Romano.
If United can get rid of Wan-Bissaka for decent money, Ten Hag will insist on bringing in a top-class replacement and he knows Dumfries well from his time in the Eredivisie.
