Man Utd urged to let Man City complete key signing, with Ten Hag told ‘nightmare’ player will prove his worth
Man Utd must forego signing a Bundesliga player also wanted by Man City, with a pundit also claiming a “nightmare” star already at Erik ten Hag’s disposal is more than good enough.
The Red Devils’ attention after Andre Onana and Mason Mount will turn to signing a new starting striker this summer. Personal terms are agreed with Atalanta’s Rasmus Hojlund, though fears they might have to overpay have seen Man Utd hold parallel talks with Randal Kolo Muani.
ESPN reported the Frankfurt and France ace, 24, is actually Ten Hag’s preferred option. The drawback there is he’ll cost far more than Hojlund anyway.
Elsewhere, Fabrizio Romano stressed a back-up goalkeeper (potentially Zion Suzuki) as well as a more defensive-minded midfielder are wanted.
Another position Man Utd hoped to address when the summer window opened was right-back. Indeed, Bayern Munich’s Benjamin Pavard quickly emerged on United’s radar and would be viewed as a far greater attacking threat than Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Coincidentally, Pavard, 27, has also emerged on the radar of near neighbour Man City. In fact, the France international is Pep Guardiola’s “priority” signing if Kyle Walker is lured the other way.
Now, speaking to Football Insider, former Aston Villa and England forward, Gabby Agbonlahor, urged Man Utd to leave Pavard alone.
Explaining why, Agbonlahor threw his backing behind Wan-Bissaka who he claimed he’d be “dreading coming up against” if still playing.
Wan-Bissaka is known for being near-impossible to beat in one-v-ones, though does struggle to impact the game going forward.
Regardless, Agbonlahor urged United to give Man City a free run at signing Pavard and to invest in three other positions instead.
Wan-Bissaka a “nightmare” for opposing attackers – Agbonlahor
“No, there’s no need to bring anyone else in now,” said Agbonlahor when asked if signing a right-back should be a priority for Ten Hag.
“Wan-Bissaka showed in the last 10-15 games of last season that he’s going to fight hard for his position.
“No one gets past him. He’s a nightmare to play against. If I was still playing, I’d be dreading coming up against him. I wouldn’t look at anyone else if I was United.
“I think they need to spend the money on another centre-half, a central midfielder and maybe even two strikers.
“They need more firepower and more competition. They’re in the Champions League now, the big-boy competition.
“If they don’t have the right squad, they could get embarrassed.”
