22-year-old Englishman emerges as possible target for Manchester United: Report
Norwich City right-back Max Aarons has emerged as a possible target for Manchester United this summer, according to Melissa Reddy of Sky Sports (via UtdActive).
Manchester United got off to a poor start in their 2022-23 Premier League season against Brighton & Hove Albion. The Red Devils lacked fluidity in attack and the lack of ball progressors came back to bite them.
United have already added two defenders in the ongoing window in the form of Tyrell Malacia at left-back and Lisandro Martinez at central defense. The right-back area is still deemed as an area of weakness.
Aaron-Wan Bissaka has been criticized for his lack of attacking sense and poor crossing abilities. Diogo Dalot started much of last season and remains the first-choice for Erik ten Hag as well. However, the Portuguese has failed to have a telling impact at the club.
According to Reddy, United have now recognized the Canaries' right-back as a potential option. The 22-year-old gave two assists in 35 appearances across all competitions last season.
Aarons has been a longstanding target for the Red Devils but he might not necessarily be an upgrade over the current options at the moment.
Manchester United should not make panic buys in the transfer market
Aarons has become the third surprising player that Manchester United have been linked with recently. The club reportedly also registered a bid for Bologna’s Marko Arnautovic, who does not seem to be a long-term solution for their striking woes at 33 years of age.
Ten Hag recently suggested that the club wants to sign the “right players” and fans have also consistently clamored for a defensive midfielder to be signed. United's failure in the pursuit of Dutchman Frenkie de Jong is well documented.
Scott McTominay and Fred yet again produced a subpar display against Brighton. The defense again looked exposed as Fred was easily dribbled past a number of times throughout the game while McTominay made reckless tackles for most of the game. The duo have not been able to bring the defensive steel and ball progression abilities required of them to the club till date.
Another player the club has been linked to in recent days is Juventus’ Adrien Rabiot. The midfielder has seemingly fallen out of favor at the club despite having one year remaining on his contract.