Earlier on in the morning, we covered a story from the Evening Standard in which it was claimed that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wanted Sean Longstaff aboard the plane when Manchester United jet off for pre-season tour this Sunday.
This afternoon, those claims have been somewhat backed up by the Manchester Evening News. They say that United want the midfielder to ‘feature’ on pre-season tour, rather than be ready to go this coming Sunday. As we’ve heard nothing concrete in regards to an official bid, you’d imagine the MEN are closer to the mark…
Furthermore, United are set to ‘accelerate’ their plans to sign him ‘this week’, while sources close to the player ‘expect’ movement from the Red Devils over the next week also.
Apparently, the 21-year-old Englishman fits the mould of the players that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is trying to sign, as the Baby Faced Assassin looks to pack his squad with young, predominantly British footballers.
The MEN also add that United had planned to sign Longstaff last month, but negotiations with Crystal Palace dragged out longer than expected. They also add that it’s ‘possible’ a move for the Newcastle man could be delayed further as the Reds look to move for Leicester City’s Harry Maguire.
To me, the casual nature in which United are taking this transfer leads me to believe that the club feel they’ve already got their man.
Longstaff would be an underrated addition to the squad, make no mistake about it. Aged 21, this boy is only going to get better, but he has been mightily impressive in his short stint in the Newcastle United first-team. A stunning display against none other than Manchester City was the standout, in which he single-handedly bossed the game from the middle of the park.
If United can get this done for somewhere around the £25million mark, this would represent great business with a real keenness to invest in the long-term future – rather than going for the quick-fix.
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