Manchester United make key Deadline Day decision as 'backup plan revealed'
Manchester United haven’t had the busiest of summer transfer windows, but there is one position that they are very short in.
That is left-back, with Luke Shaw, after Patrick Dorgu’s shift forwards into a more advanced role, the club’s only recognised senior player in that position.
As such, it has led the club to hunt an understudy - or potentially a long-term replacement - for the England international, who has historically struggled with injuries throughout his career.
Shaw is United’s longest-serving player, having joined the club from Southampton in 2014 for a fee in the region of £30million.
This summer, the Red Devils have been linked with the likes of Newcastle’s Lewis Hall, Barcelona full-back Alejandro Balde, and most recently, they reportedly registered an interest in Aston Villa’s Ian Maatsen, formerly of Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund, but they were issued a hands-off warning by their Premier League rivals.
It has therefore led to Michael Carrick’s side scrambling for solutions on the final day of the window, but the Daily Mail reports that a contingency plan is in place should a left-back not be signed ahead of Tuesday’s deadline.
United are thought to have four different options that they are considering should the right target not come along, and they are left with just Shaw as their only senior option in that position.
The first option is to utilise natural right-backs Noussair Mazraoui and Diogo Dalot’s versatility, with one or the other shifting flanks, having both done so previously.
Another solution is to move Dorgu back into a more defensive capacity, while another is to keep hold of academy graduate Harry Amass, who has been strongly linked with an Old Trafford exit. Burnley are thought to be in talks for the youngster.
The final point is more makeshift, with Lisandro Martinez and Carlos Baleba, the new midfield signing from Brighton, considered as potential fill-ins.