Erik ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, has set his sights on Chelsea’s sidelined defender Marc Cucurella to address the left-back gap in the team. Here’s the reasoning behind this move.
With Luke Shaw facing a potential absence until November due to a muscle injury sustained against Tottenham, Manchester United is exploring the option of signing a left-back before the transfer window closes.
Reportedly, Erik ten Hag has shortlisted Chelsea’s Cucurella, Tottenham’s Sergio Reguilón, and Barcelona’s Marcos Alonso as potential replacements for Shaw.
According to The Guardian, any deal involving these three players, all of whom have limited playing time at their current clubs, would likely be on a temporary basis.
Interestingly, Tyrell Malacia, another left-back option for Ten Hag, is also unavailable due to injury.
While Ten Hag utilized Diogo Dalot as a left-back during United’s 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest, the team is actively searching for a specialist in that position. Dalot is primarily known as a right-back.
The reported interest in Cucurella by Manchester United has raised questions among certain segments of the United fanbase, considering the Spaniard’s underwhelming performance during his first season at Stamford Bridge last year.
However, according to Gerrard Romero viaUtddistrict, Ten Hag is a long-time admirer of Cucurella.
He and his staff allegedly have fond memories of the 25-year-old since the Dutchman’s former side, Ajax, took on Getafe in the Europa League in February 2020.
The Spanish outfit knocked out Ajax, who a season prior had been Champions League semi-finalists, 3-2 on aggregate, with Cucurella impressing across both games in the tie.
According toFabrizio Romanoon his YouTube channel, United have made direct contact with Chelsea to inquire about the conditions of a possible loan deal.
But while the Blues have confirmed they are open to allowing Cucurella to leave the club on loan, the move will allegedly not be “that easy” to finalise, due to conditions on the duration of the loan.
Moreover, United would also reportedly need to have internal discussions regarding how much they are willing to invest in the left-back position.