Manchester United are prioritizing a move for a new right-back in the January 2022 transfer window, reports 90min. The club wants to provide cover to the incumbent Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who they signed from Crystal Palace for a fee believed to be in the region of 50 million pounds.
Despite spending a considerable amount of money in the summer, the one area Manchester United failed to strengthen was the right-back. The club were linked with Atletico Madrid’s Kieran Trippier over the course of the transfer window but decided against making an official move due to a higher-than-desired price tag.
As a result, the Red Devils have decided not to loan reserve right-back Diogo Dalot and kept him at Old Trafford to provide cover for Wan-Bissaka.
After a summer of failed pursuit for Trippier, the club has decided to change its outlook and target young players with a high ceiling. Two names on their list, presently, are that of Nathan Paterson and Max Aarons.
After debuting in early 2020, Patterson broke into the Rangers’ first-team squad during the subsequent season. The 19-year-old provided cover for James Tavernier and stepped in for the stalwart during the latter half of a title-winning campaign. Patterson earned his first Scotland cap in 2021 and went on to make two more international appearances. His contract with the club ends in 2022.
While Patterson is yet to experience the English top-flight, Aarons already established himself as one of the country’s best young prospects at right-back during the 2019/20 season with Norwich City. Whilst Norwich fell to the Championship at the end of the season, Aarons’ reputation stayed afloat. He remained with the Canaries, who are back in the Premier League for the 2021/22 season.
A third alternative for Manchester United for Wan-Bissaka’s slot is academy graduate Ethan Laird, as per the report. Laird is spending the season on loan at Championship side Swansea City and is seen as a future prospect instead of an immediate cover.
