The midfield remains a problem for Manchester United as seen from their dismal 0-3 defeat at the hands of fierce rivals Liverpool last weekend.
Casemiro struggled under the intense pressure put on him by the visitors while Kobbie Mainoo looks like he is being overplayed and in need of energy in the middle of the park.
With Christian Eriksen unlikely to earn too many minutes due to his ageing legs, and Manuel Ugarte needing time to adapt to his new surroundings, the Red Devils could fall short of options if an injury were to occur.
The club opted to only bring in the Uruguayan while shelving plans to bring back Sofyan Amrabat on loan. The free agent market, however, remains open with constant rumours emerging linking the club with a move for Adrien Rabiot.
Rabiot links keep emerging
The Frenchman left Juventus at the end of last season and is yet to agree a new deal at any club with his services offered to multiple English clubs.
The 29-year-old is keen to play in the Premier League but with no concrete bids arriving at his doorstep, a move to Saudi Arabia could be his best chance at earning a lucrative contract for the future.
Cristiano Ronaldo wants Al Nassr to try and land his former Juventus teammate and the Saudi Pro League club are ready to offer €20 million a year for his services.
Veronique, the player’s mother and agent, is a pain to deal with as seen from United’s previous attempts at landing the former Paris Saint-Germain man, and she could be enticed with the humongous wages on offer.
Interestingly, Al Nassr have filled all their foreigner slots and bringing in Rabiot might not be feasible but they plan to talk to the league authorities to come up with a solution as per Corriere dello Sport.
“And in the end Adrien Rabiot could be yet another talent flying to Arabia. For the Frenchman, without a team after the end of his contract with Juventus, a shock offer is ready from Arabia: 20 million a year.
“Putting it on the table, with his mother agent who is conducting the negotiations, is Al Nassr, Cristiano Ronaldo’s team. He is said to be pushing to have the Frenchman on the team as soon as possible.
CR7 wants Rabiot at Al Nassr
“It remains to be seen, however, how Al Nassr could sign him, as they already have the slots for the 8 full foreigners. According to some market operators, an annual exemption could be requested.”
Ten Hag remains an admirer of Rabiot, who was pursued in both summers since the Dutch manager’s arrival. But wage demands meant a deal never materialised.
The France international is capable of playing all across the midfield and his experience and winning mentality could have been a huge boost for the 20-time English league champions.
But there is very little chance INEOS will offer similar wages as on offer in Saudi Arabia, which makes a late addition highly unlikely at this stage.
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