Man United issued hands-off warning by Newcastle manager: What should be Ole’s play?

The Premier League season is set to begin in two weeks, but Manchester United have yet to sign a replacement for Ander Herrera, who left the club for Paris Saint-Germain following the end of the 2018-19 season. The Red Devils have been linked with a move for Sporting Lisbon’s Bruno Fernandes, but latest reports from Sky Sports have revealed that the Premier League club may not sign the midfielder in this transfer window.

Now, they have been delivered another blow in their pursuit of another midfielder, Newcastle United’s Sean Longstaff, who is set to stay at the club after new Magpies manager Steve Bruce revealed that the club does not intend to sell their best young players and categorically said that the deal will not happen. Daily Star have revealed that United could be preparing a bid of £30 million for the 21-year-old midfielder.

Longstaff broke through into the Newcastle first team last season, and despite playing just 13 games for the senior side in the 2018-19 season, has attracted a lot of interest from bigger clubs, especially Manchester United. The English midfielder has come through the Newcastle United academy and gained experience in two loan spells at Kilmarnock and Blackpool.

Do they need to look for alternatives?

Manchester United need to sign at least one midfielder ahead of the 2019-20 season as they are short of quality first-team midfielders. Longstaff could have been a good signing for Solskjaer’s “project” at United, where he intends to bring in young, homegrown players, who could possibly help United win the league in 2-3 years time.

Paul Pogba’s future still hangs in the balance, while the Premier League side have yet to bring in replacements for Marouane Fellaini or Ander Herrera, both of whom left the club in the last year. While United need to strengthen their squad, they should not fall into the trap of paying exorbitant transfer fees for players like Longstaff, who are players that have potential rather than being the finished product.

The transfer market is hugely inflated and paying over the odds – Newcastle were rumoured to want £50 million for Longstaff as per Daily Mail – would set a bad precedent and could hamper future transfer dealings for United. The club should rather pursue cheaper alternatives or buy a player who could instantly make the side better – like Bruno Fernandes.

If the Red Devils can keep hold of Paul Pogba who could be paired with likes of Scott McTominay, as well as Fred, who could have a better campaign than his first season at United, in the ranks, Solskjaer’s side could be good enough for a top 4 slot.