Ajax youngster Jorrel Hato has been urged to follow in the footsteps of a Manchester City star, as a potential move to Manchester United has been discussed.
With Manchester United’s summer recruitment already well underway, Ruben Amorim will be hopeful that a squad overhaul can propel his side up the table.
Having finished 15th in the Premier League last season, change is needed all over the park for United. The Red Devils have already signed Matheus Cunha and are hoping to secure the signing of Bryan Mbeumo shortly.
Despite the fact that United are prioritising attacking signings this summer, there still needs to be some room in the budget to address their issues elsewhere. This includes defensive depth, a new goalkeeper, and potentially a new midfielder.
On the topic of defensive depth, one of Europe’s most spoken about defensive prospects could be on the move this summer, and Rene Meulensteen has spoken on the prospect of him joining Amorim’s side.
Would Hato be United-ready?
Jorrel Hato has captured headlines over the past few seasons due to his rapid rise into the Ajax first team. Meulensteen had the following to say on the 19-year-old:
“Jorrel Hato is a fantastic talent, but he plays in an Ajax team which dominates possession in most of their games and you don’t get tested physically like you do in the Premier League.
“Look at Tyrell Malacia, he was described the same way but the environment is like nothing they would have experienced before.
“Antony is another example, he is a great talent but it was too big of a jump. Tijjani Reijnders has made the right steps, five years ago he was at RKC Waalwijk playing with my son and he wasn’t even a regular.
“Since then he went to AZ, he scored against West Ham in the Europa League, AC MIlan picked him up, he improved a lot and now he is at Manchester City.
“Will he be a big asset to City? Yes. He brings energy and never stops running. Would Hato be a big asset to United right now? I think he would struggle.”
What do United need defensively?
Not only Reijnders, but Matthijs De Ligt has also taken a similar path to Manchester, having spent a number of years abroad before making the move to England’s top-flight.
Hato can take a lot of inspiration from United’s Dutch defender. The 25-year-old also caught a lot of eyes at a very young age whilst at Ajax, before then playing for Juventus, Bayern, and now Amorim’s Reds.
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Although the leap from the Eredivisie to the Premier League has proved too much for many players, Hato could be the astute type of signing that United need to bolster their defensive arsenal. It’ll certainly be interesting to see what approach Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s team take this summer.
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