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Man United will strengthen again in the summer and should be targeting the Premier League's best.
The Michael Carrick momentum continues to rumble on at Manchester United with qualification for the Champions League now looking a certainty.
It might still be close mathematically, however, United have the sort of consistency that Chelsea, Liverpool and Aston Villa simply don’t have. Carrick has also developed the uncanny knack of beating the teams who they are competing with, results that make him the favourite to replace Ruben Amorim on a long-term basis in the summer. The audition isn’t quite over, but there isn’t much more that he could have done to persuade the Old Trafford hierarchy that he is the man to turn to.
Man United should hijack Man City move for Lewis Hall
If he is in charge, Carrick will want United to invest in the starting XI and continue some of the good work that was done last summer. One area that will need to be addressed is the defence with both full-back positions an area of concern. If the Red Devils want to catch and pass teams like Arsenal and Man City, they need to be signing the type of players who would improve them. One of those who both teams are watching, according to Caught Offside, is Lewis Hall. The Newcastle United left-back, who is valued at around £70m, has been converted from a midfield role and who pocketed Lamine Yamal in the Champions League to perfectly demonstrate his potential.
Luke Shaw will be 31 in the summer and, despite barely missing a minute of Premier League football this season, he shouldn’t be offered a new contract on top of his current one that has a year left. The England international’s injury issues are well reported and there is always a feeling that the next absence is just around the corner. Having Hall as first choice and Shaw as a rotational option and back up would be the sort of depth that title contenders need to have.
What Lewis Hall has said about big-game mentality
Speaking to BBC Sounds ahead of Newcastle’s first leg game with Barcelona, Hall gave an insight into his mentality and why he would be a good fit at Old Trafford: "If you go on to a pitch fearing or worrying about anything you are on the back foot. I always go on with a positive mindset... I want to test myself against the best players in the world so no better opportunity to do that than tomorrow.
"I like to take everything in my stride. I think that's an important thing for a young player to do. Anyone can get caught up in the moment, it can become a bit overwhelming". Hall is also being driven by the upcoming World Cup which Shaw himself still has aspirations of being involved in: "It is definitely a motivating factor. I'm still young, I'm still learning... Champions League, World Cup, they're obviously massive competitions". Newcastle might not want to sell, however, every player has their price.
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