Manchester United are making better progress than last season on the transfers front this year, as they have already signed young winger Daniel James, and have all but confirmed Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s arrival from Crystal Palace.
The memo that manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has possibly given the United hierarchy is to sign young British players with potential.
Following the same formula, the Red Devils are now interested in signing another young British player, Newcastle United’s Sean Longstaff.
A report from Standard has revealed that Solskjaer wants the transfer of Longstaff to be completed quickly, perhaps before the start of pre-season training, which begins in the first week of July.
Manchester United are also keen on signing Sporting’s Bruno Fernandes, as well as Leicester City defender Harry Maguire, but the latter looks set to join rivals Manchester City.
Sean Longstaff – Profile
Longstaff made his debut for Newcastle United in the 2018-19 season, and impressed under manager Rafa Benitez, but an unfortunate injury stopped him from getting more playing time for the Magpies and finishing the season on a high.
In his first senior season for Newcastle, Longstaff played 16 games in all competitions, scoring twice and assisting twice.
A knee ligament injury ended his debut campaign with Newcastle back in March.
Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of Manchester United signing Sean Longstaff:
Pros
Longstaff, in the games that he played for Newcastle United, impressed with his defensive contribution and work ethic.
His best performance was in the Magpies’ game against eventual champions Manchester City, where he impressed with his interceptions and defensive contribution. His tenacity stopped even the best technical players in Manchester City, which was an impressive feat.
The 21-year-old is a versatile player who can play the holding midfield role and a slightly advanced role.
Signing Longstaff would free up United’s attack-minded midfielders like Paul Pogba or a potential player like Bruno Fernandes, to attack more as the Newcastle sensation would provide the defensive insurance.
He is a neat passer of the ball as well, who can distribute the ball well with his short passing.
Cons
Longstaff hasn’t yet had a full season in the Premier League and his weaknesses haven’t been exposed yet.
It will also be interesting to see how – and if – the midfielder can adapt to Solskjaer’s much more attacking style of play compared to Rafa Benitez’s pragmatic football.
Although Longstaff had an impressive start, it remains to be seen if he can replicate the same for a club like Manchester United where the pressure to perform will be higher.