Manchester United on the hunt for yet another left-back: report

Ruben Amorim has encountered a tough beginning to his managerial tenure at Old Trafford following his appointment in November as the replacement for Erik ten Hag. Unfortunately, the team has already suffered 11 defeats in the league this season.

The January transfer window saw £86million 2022 signing Antony leave for Real Betis on loan, while Marcus Rashford joined Aston Villa until the end of the season after his relationship with Amorim broke down, but it is clear there is still plenty of work to do in terms of squad building.

Manchester United linked with Barcelona defender

Manchester United’s only major signing last month was the £30million acquisition of wing-back Patrick Dorgu, who joined from Serie A side Lecce, as the club looked to bring in a player that would fit Amorim’s favoured 3-4-2-1 formation.

Dorgu’s arrival came despite the club already having two senior left-back options at the club in Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw, although the former has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee ligament injury and the latter has made just three appearances this term as he continues to struggle with his fitness.

Another left-back is now reportedly on the Red Devils summer shopping list however, with a report from TEAMtalk has relayed claims from Spain that the club are preparing a €40million bid for Barcelona left-back Alejandro Balde, with the report citing that he would be a “significant improvement on Martinez and Shaw.”

The 21-year-old Spain international is said to on Amorim’s radar as he values his speed, solidity at the back and is attacking ability, all traits which he seeks in the very specific formation that he wants to install at Old Trafford.

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Balde came up through the Barca youth ranks at the La Masia academy, making a first-team debut in September 2021 before displacing Jordi Alba from the team. A Spain debut followed in 2022 and FourFourTwo named him as one of the ten best left-backs in the world last year.

Balde is a key member of Hansi Flick’s first-team squad, with the manager said to value him highly, but the club’s continued financial issues mean they would be susceptible to a big-money offer.

In FourFourTwo’s opinion, Balde, who is valued at €50million by Transfermarkt, is the kind of player that would excel in Amorim’s system. His age is another plus point, but this does mean he wouldn’t come cheap at a time when the club are sailing close to the Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) winds.

United clearly have other areas of the team to improve, however. This is a speculative move and one that we wouldn't expect to be made before significant investment is made in midfield and in attack.