Despite the uncertainties surrounding Jadon Sancho and Antony, Manchester United is allegedly not interested in signing Anwar El Ghazi and will not pursue the former Aston Villa winger.
Anwar El Ghazi’s services had been offered to Manchester United by his agent as a last-minute emergency replacement, but according to The Athletic’s Laurie Whitwell, the club has decided not to hire him. In light of the uncertainties surrounding the highly-priced wing pairing of Antony and Jadon Sancho, the Red Devils have other solutions to their ongoing right-wing dilemma.
On Monday night, shocking rumors claimed that United was considering making an emergency transfer for the former Aston Villa winger before Wednesday’s deadline for Premier League roster submissions.
The right-winger scored nine goals in 33 games for PSV before his contract was terminated. Prior to that, he only played twice on loan at Everton in 2021–2022, but it was at Villa Park where he established a name for himself. He contributed significantly to the Midlands team’s 2019 promotion back to the top level and their subsequent two seasons in the division by scoring 26 goals and dishing out 16 assists in 119 games for them.
United manager Ten Hag would never have anticipated to be in such a situation, despite the fact that he would have been yet another one of the Red Devils’ most incredible last-minute repairs, following in the footsteps of Wout Weghorst, Sergio Reguilon, and Odion Ighalo. As they attempt to turn around their sputtering season, United is lacking at a crucial attacking position due to a confluence of rare events.
The Dutchman will likely be without Antony, his favorite candidate for the right-wing role, for some time after they mutually decided on a leave of absence so he could address allegations of abuse from three previous girlfriends in Brazilian media.
The 23-year-old has strenuously denied any wrongdoing and made it a point to demonstrate his innocence in front of others while defending the inquiry on social media and during a TV interview. After publicly accusing Ten Hag of lying about his subpar performance in training after being benched for the loss at Arsenal, England international Sancho’s Old Trafford job is now in jeopardy.
However, United have passed up the opportunity to sign El Ghazi to a temporary emergency contract since Ten Hag is satisfied with his options
While Sancho’s future is uncertain, United has Fecundo Pellestri and Alejandro Garnacho in key positions. Particularly the 21-year-old Uruguayan, who was on the bench against Wolves and Tottenham, might get an opportunity this weekend against Brighton as he seeks to convince Ten Hag that he merits more appearances.
It’s safe to conclude that if United had decided to sign a stop-gap player from the free agent market instead of using him, the young player’s confidence would not have been increased. Mason Mount and Bruno Fernandes can both play on the wings if necessary, and right-wing specialist Amad Diallo, who enjoyed a productive loan with Championship club Sunderland last season, would be eager to showcase his skills after his successful loan stint, would also be available.
Leave a Reply