Prem full-back ‘ideal’ signing for Man Utd as ‘a lot of boxes’ ticked in five-assist season | OneFootball

Manchester United see a Premier League full-back as the ‘ideal profile’ to take the position as he ‘ticks a lot of boxes’ after a great season in the league.

United are having a resurgent season after finishing 15th in the Premier League last term. With Michael Carrick at the helm, the Red Devils are third, and have six points on fourth-placed Liverpool with three games to go.

The likelihood is that they finish in third place, and having already confirmed Champions League football for next term, they are on the hunt for reinforcements to compete on two fronts.

While the midfield is the priority, left-back is one area the Red Devils want to add to, given Luke Shaw is 30 and has had injury problems.

Football Insider reports United see West Ham’s El Hadji Malick Diouf as the ‘ideal profile’ for the position, with the Senegal international ticking ‘a lot of boxes.’

They believe he’s only going to get better after his debut season with the Hammers, which is one of the driving forces behind the pursuit.

West Ham are fighting relegation – one point from safety with league leaders Arsenal up next – and will struggle to hold onto key players if they go down, leading to United lurking for Diouf.

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Diouf has had a quality season

Diouf is in only his first season with West Ham, and he was expected to have a good campaign when he joined, after he’d impressed with Slavia Prague.

He has done so, contributing five assists in his first campaign with the Hammers – one coming against Chelsea and one against Liverpool.

Should West Ham be relegated to the Championship, Diouf, a 21-year-old after a great season, is one of the most saleable assets and is therefore likely to be one of the first out the door.

For United, he’d offer a more attacking option to Shaw, who is very solid defensively, but his last five-assist Premier League season came in 2020/21.

In 35 league games this season, split almost equally between centre-back and left-back, he’s contributed just one assist.

It’s easy to see how having both men in the squad would be ideal for United, as they offer different skillsets which could make one more ideal than the other depending on the opponent and game situation.