Manchester United are keeping the track leading to Alex Scott alive, even though he’s not the club’s top target.
The Premier League giants are currently revamping their midfield department. They began the summer by striking an agreement with Atalanta for Anderson, who will join the club after the World Cup, but another one or two midfielders are expected to follow.
Mateus Fernandes might be the primary target, but the complexity of the operation is prompting Jason Wilcox and Co. to consider other options.
Man Utd in direct contact with Alex Scott and his entourage
Over the past few days, Tottenham Hotspur emerged as serious challengers in the race for Fernandes.
Man Utd might be the frontrunners in the race for the 21-year-old Portuguese, but they must overcome the threat posed by Spurs, and more importantly, find an agreement with West Ham United, who are requesting £80 million to release one of their most prized assets.
Therefore, Carrington insider Sully explains that United are keeping tabs on alternative profiles, and chief among them is Bournemouth’s Alex Scott.
The journalist reveals that MUFC held new talks with the 22-year-old representatives in recent days.
“Mateus Fernandes is United’s main priority, and they are in ongoing talks with West Ham and his agents on this deal,” posted Sully on RoundTable.
“However, this doesn’t mean we aren’t doing any other business elsewhere. We are constantly having meetings with the agents of targets and clubs too.
“A quick example I can give you is that we have had fresh talks with the agents of Alex Scott in recent days and weeks. There have also been checks made on other positions as the data pool has shortened.
Is Scott good enough for Man Utd?
While Fernandes might be the more exciting profile, Scott is no slouch either. The England international is highly regarded, and some observers believe he has all the right traits to become the captain at club and country level.
The Bournemouth star reportedly has a £75 million release clause in his contract, but his estimated market value is around €60 million, making him slightly more affordable compared to Fernandes.
Percentiles Duel% Poss won Prog carries Fwd passes Fwd pass% Key passes Prog passes Minutes
Alex Scott 66.9 78.2 71.0 34.5 18.8 35.2 29.2 3143
Mateus Fernandes 82.4 83.5 58.3 60.4 74.5 55.5 64.6 3302
(Stats via DataMB)
As illustrated by the numbers above, Fernandes outperformed Scott in almost every metric, but the latter did better in progressive carries. Therefore, the Englishman can be considered a natural box-to-box midfielder.
But with Ederson already secured, and Mainoo considered a natural No.8, one might argue that Man Utd need a midfielder capable of operating in a deeper position, someone like Carlos Baleba, Aurelien Tchoumeni, or Scott’s Bournemouth teammate, Tyler Adams.
Michel is a football journalist based in Beirut who has been passionately following Man United for over 20 years. He is a Law graduate and a member of the Beirut Bar Association. In addition to writing for Utd Report, he is also the Head Writer for The Laziali has been a Featured Writer on other websites including Juve FC, and The Cult of Calcio, and Stretty News.
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