Erik ten Hag’s road to Manchester United’s opening Premier League match of the season hasn’t exactly been easy sailing.
The preseason went off without a hitch, but pressure on the Dutch manager has increased due to questions about Cristiano Ronaldo’s future, Anthony Martial’s injury, and United’s so far unsuccessful pursuit of Frenkie de Jong.
There aren’t many options for United in the middle. The club’s senior options are Scott McTominay and Fred, both of whom are expected to start against Brighton.
Christian Eriksen, a recent addition, and Donny van de Beek can both play there, but playing them further forward would make better use of their skill set.
Ten Hag has been pleading for De Jong to join his team at Old Trafford for just this reason. Despite the new manager’s determination, United must have backup plans available because time is running out.
Ruben Neves and Youri Tielemans have been targeted, while Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham are also possible targets for the upcoming campaign.
According to Italian paper, Il Matino, The Red Devils reportedly made a proposal for Fabian Ruiz of Napoli as well, but the estimated price did not sit well with the Naples club.
The current state of Ruiz’s future with the Serie A team is in doubt. The Spanish international turned down Napoli’s initial contract offer, which infuriated sports director Cristiano Giuntoli.
No La Liga clubs submitted a proposal, but, Ruiz’s agency had submitted United’s offer to Napoli, which was turned down because it was deemed to be “extremely low.”
The Azzurri are now willing to go to great lengths to keep their best player. Negotiations are about to start on a salary of €2.5 million per year, although it will allegedly only include a €30 million buyout clause.
If United were to truly explore bringing the former Real Betis playmaker to Manchester, it wouldn’t be too difficult for them to achieve that number.
