Manchester United are ‘gathering information’ on star player Erik ten Hag claimed is “not great”

Manchester United are reportedly eyeing a summer move for Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies, despite Erik ten Hag previously claiming he is ‘not great’ defensively.

Manchester United and Bayern Munich held extensive discussions last summer as Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s club aimed to strengthen Erik ten Hag’s defence.

After a lengthy negotiation period, the clubs reached an agreement on a double transfer deal valued at an initial £50 million, bringing Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui to Old Trafford.

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Since joining, the centre-back and right-back have had positive starts under Ten Hag, who previously coached both players at Ajax.

Both De Ligt and Mazraoui have been praised for their performances, although the Dutch defender has had to respond to criticism at times.

Interest in Davies

According to German transfer specialist Florian Plettenberg, United are becoming more concrete in their interest in Canadian and Bayern Munich left-back ALphonso Davies.

The club is said to have been collecting extensive data on the 23-year-old and that he is the “desired” choice for the left-back position.

As it stands, Davies is not in discussions with Bayern Munich over a new deal. His current contract expires in 2025, meaning he will be a free agent next summer if he does not negotiate a pre-contract agreement with another club between January and the summer.

Further, Plettenberg claims that, in recent months, United made an informal enquiry with the star player’s camp. United need a new left back in the summer, considering the consistent injury issues with Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw.

Ten Hag’s opinion

However, United’s interest in Davies raises a rather interesting point – Ten Hag has already claimed he feels Davies is not a good defender.

Last season, in September 2023, United and Bayern Munich faced off in the Champions League group stage under the old format. When United played in Germany, Ten Hag chose to start Facundo Pellistri on the right wing, claiming that Davies was not a good defender.

Speaking on TNT Sports, Ten Hag was asked how he plans to deal with Davies’ raw speed. He offered Pellistri as someone who could match him and beat him in a duel.

“Davies, very offensive with a lot of speed and Pelli can match that,” the Dutchman said. “In defending – also offensively. He has the capabilities to come into attack and Davies is not a great defender, with his dribbling I think it’s a great game for him.”

With INEOS now in control of the club’s sporting matters, they have jurisdiction over transfer targets instead of Ten Hag, meaning they may pursue a player that is not the manager’s first choice.

With Ten Hag under increasing pressure at the club, he may not be at Old Trafford next summer, but if he is, he may have to find a way to fit Davies into his squad.

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