Manchester United beat Brentford 2-1 in extra time at Old Trafford on Saturday in the Premier League. The team is not at all like it used to be.
On a day when his star players once again let him down and injuries meant a change had to be made at the back, substitute Scott McTominay made the difference.
Injuries have really hurt the defense, and not having a true right winger has also been a big problem. For over a month, a defender has had to play there.
Antony is back from his break, and the Brazilian is likely to start games after the break. Even so, boss Erik ten Hag could have used Jadon Sancho’s help while he was away.
The ETH-Sancho fight is likely to lead to the winger’s departure.
The Englishman, on the other hand, has refused to say sorry to the boss for calling him out in public, so he is still not on the first team.
The player doesn’t seem to feel bad about what he did, and even though the PFA and his England teammates have told him not to, he keeps staying up late to play EA FC 24 and showing up late to practice.
Several clubs are reportedly interested in signing him, and he is expected to leave in January. However, according to the most recent reports, his old team, Borussia Dortmund, has ruled themselves out of the race.
The 23-year-old player might leave, so United will need to find a replacement. Recently, Wolves star Pedro Neto’s name has been linked to the job.
There is now a new name in the mix: Takefusa Kubo from Real Sociedad. This is without a doubt the best season for the young Japanese winger so far.
The 22-year-old has scored five goals and set up two others in nine games so far. United has taken notice of him, but the deal will be hard to make because the Basque club has a deal with Real Madrid.
“Reliable sources told Fichajes.net that the English club is very interested in signing Takefusa Kubo, a talented 22-year-old Japanese right winger.”
Because of the way his deal is written, it won’t be easy for him to move to another team. Real Madrid, the club he used to play for, keeps half of the money made from selling the player in the future, which makes talks more difficult.
United wants to get Takefusa Kubo.
In essence, this means that when Real Madrid sold the Japanese player, they kept half of his rights and can buy him back at any time for a set fee within the next five years.
Also, if Sociedad does decide to sell, Real Madrid will get half of the fee and have the right to buy first. In spite of this, United won’t give up.
“Manchester United is definitely willing to try to get Kubo to join their team in the summer of 2024, even though the negotiations are very difficult.”
According to Transfermarkt, Kubo is worth €25 million right now, but Real will keep half of the fee, so the Txuri-Urdin are likely to ask for a lot more.