Manchester United are now racing Tottenham Hotspur to sign a Serie A defender in a deal worth over £25m, according to recent reports.
Carrick praises "special" Man Utd victory
As first games go, it doesn't get much better than a dominant victory in the Manchester derby for Michael Carrick. The interim boss arrived ahead of what looked likely to be a tough test, but had his new players champing at the bit to secure an excellent victory in front of the Old Trafford faithful.
The former midfielder had his say on the 2-0 win, in which Man United also had three goals disallowed, telling reporters: "Today was special. Putting things together quickly and trying to put an imprint on the team.
"Gathering together and emotionally getting attached to what we want to do. I felt that unbelievable from the staff and the players. I am not getting carried away. It is one result, but it needs to be a regular feeling with that level of performance."
Man United manager Michael Carrick
He then spoke about how he defeated Pep Guardiola's side, saying: "I am not going to say too much with respect to Pep, he is such a incredible coach and it is such a good team. It is not for me to pick them apart publicly.
"We wanted to play to our strengths. The two wide lads, Amad and Dorgu, were fantastic both ways. Mbeumo and Bruno, Cunha coming on and making the difference, Mount nearly getting the goal. Everything was what we hoped for."
Now, the Red Devils are aiming to keep the positive news coming in the transfer market amid reports that they're targeting a Serie A star alongside Tottenham.
Man Utd racing Tottenham to sign Kalulu
As reported by Calciomercato and relayed by Sport Witness, Man United are racing Tottenham to sign Pierre Kalulu from Juventus, who value their defender at more than €30m (£26m).
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The Red Devils are prepared to spend big.
It's no surprise that those at Old Trafford are eyeing a central defender, with Harry Maguire on his way out of the club unless he signs a new contract before the summer.
Replacing the experienced defender, for all the criticism that he receives, won't be the simplest task. Kalulu, however, would arguably do exactly that.
League stats P90 25/26 Kalulu Maguire
Minutes 1,800 345
Progressive Passes 5.85 3.95
Tackles Won 0.85 0.26
Ball Recoveries 4.4 3.42
The 25-year-old has especially impressed in possession. Whilst Maguire progresses play well by driving from his role, Kalulu progresses it by using his passing range.
Now that they've switched back to a back four, there's every chance that the Juventus man would thrive at Man United, too. Whether they can lure him away from Italy is another question, however.
Champions League football, with that in mind, is likely to be key if the Red Devils wait until the summer to make their move.