Lewis Hall Leads Manchester United's Left-Back Search
Manchester United’s search for a new left-back has a clear frontrunner – and it is not the Arsenal teenager suddenly on the market.
Lewis Hall remains the priority target, with United still focusing their efforts on prising the 21-year-old away from Newcastle despite being offered highly rated Arsenal youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly. Hall has attracted the most serious interest inside Old Trafford and, crucially, is understood to be keen on the move.
His stance comes after a chaotic summer at St James’ Park. Newcastle have already lost manager Eddie Howe and key trio Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes. The club are adamant Hall is not for sale, but the defender is pushing for the switch, with his frustrations said to stretch back to tactical decisions under Howe that he believes cost him a place in England’s 2026 World Cup squad.
With United back in the Champions League and facing four competitions next season, Michael Carrick wants extra depth at left-back. Hall fits the bill. Lewis-Skelly, valued at around £45million and offered to United as Arsenal seek to recoup some of their Guimaraes outlay, is seen as an option rather than a priority.
Newcastle are also braced for another possible battle with United in midfield, with Brighton’s Carlos Baleba on their list – a player the Old Trafford hierarchy have admired since last summer.
Rashford’s future, but Carrick backs his man
Marcus Rashford’s name refuses to leave the rumour mill. Tottenham have been urged to test United’s resolve, with former Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara insisting the London club should “just go, how much do you want?” for the forward as they hunt a new left-sided attacker.
O’Hara believes Roberto De Zerbi would be the ideal manager to reignite Rashford, calling him “still one of the best players around” if given a point to prove.
Inside Old Trafford, Carrick is striking a different tone. The United boss has confirmed Rashford has returned in excellent condition after his loan spells at Aston Villa and Barcelona.
“Rashford is our player and he’s come back great,” Carrick said, stressing the forward still offers something “a little bit different”. He has even hinted Rashford could feature against AC Milan in the next pre-season friendly, with the Italian side now managed by former United boss Ruben Amorim, the coach who sanctioned Rashford’s loan to Villa in January 2025.
For now, Rashford looks increasingly likely to be part of United’s 2026/27 squad. Whether that quietens the noise around him is another matter.
Rooney, Goldbridge and Disney+: United’s media machine grows
Away from the pitch, United’s reach is stretching further into the media world.
Wayne Rooney has landed a new podcast role alongside outspoken fan Mark Goldbridge. The pair will front “Stick to United”, a 50-episode show dedicated to the club, arriving on the back of Disney+’s big-money move for Gary Neville’s “The Overlap”.
Rooney and Goldbridge will sit alongside Neville’s “Stick to Football”, which continues with Jamie Carragher, Jill Scott, Ian Wright and Roy Keane. Episodes will run on Disney+ and YouTube, with subscribers getting 20 exclusive shows before they drop for everyone else.
United’s battles may be on the pitch, but the brand is being fought over in the studio too.
Youngsters in the spotlight: Gabriel, Kukonki and Williams
Inside the academy, United are fighting hard to keep hold of their brightest prospects.
JJ Gabriel, just 15, is at the centre of a tug of war. Chelsea and several European clubs are circling after he smashed 29 goals in 32 games for the Under-18s. United, though, are confident of tying him down when he becomes eligible to sign scholarship terms in October, determined to ensure his rapid rise continues at Old Trafford.
Defender Godwill Kukonki, meanwhile, looks set to stay. The 18-year-old has been missing from pre-season amid uncertainty over his future, with no professional contract signed despite entering the third year of his scholarship. Talks have now calmed the situation, with the Manchester Evening News reporting he has decided not to leave this summer. The 6ft 5in centre-back is expected to agree pro terms before heading out on loan, with Championship sides Southampton, Birmingham City and Norwich all interested and Premier League clubs watching. Michael Carrick is understood to rate him highly, with a pathway being mapped out for a first-team push by 2027/28.
One youngster has already departed. Winger Ethan Williams has joined Peterborough United on a permanent deal for a sizeable undisclosed fee and will wear the No10 shirt. The 20-year-old, who scored on United’s pre-season tour in a 5-0 win over Rosenborg and has had loans at Falkirk and Cheltenham, admitted it was the right moment to move on, saying he had gained experience in men’s football and felt the time was right to leave and sign for Peterborough.
Croke Park drama and a keeper staking his claim
On the pitch, United’s pre-season offered its usual mix of theatre and talking points.
At a packed Croke Park, Bruno Fernandes drew the loudest roar in a 1-1 draw with Leeds. The Portugal international came off the bench to a huge ovation, saw one effort chalked off for offside, then rattled the crossbar. He missed in the penalty shootout, but Noussair Mazraoui sealed a 5-4 win.
Fernandes’ future, though, lingers in the background. With Juventus, AC Milan and Galatasaray all reportedly interested and his contract running into its final year, his situation will dominate conversations over the next 12 months. Whether he is still at Old Trafford beyond 2027 remains an open question.
Croke Park also produced an unexpected subplot. Goalkeeper Dermot Mee, 23, replaced Senne Lammens and saved a crucial spot-kick in the shootout, forcing United to take notice. With Karl Darlow now in the building and veteran Tom Heaton still around, Mee faces a battle to become Lammens’ understudy, but his performance may earn him cup minutes.
“Being able to have that extra bit of adrenaline at the end there, just gets you that extra few inches and helps you make a save,” he told BBC Sport NI. Those extra inches might just move him up the pecking order.
Transfer market: strikers, controllers and a £100m problem
United’s recruitment drive has already been aggressive. Six permanent signings and two free transfers are through the door.
Karl Darlow has arrived from Leeds United on a free, joined by fellow free transfer Kit Margetson from Swansea City. Cristian Orozco has been signed from Fortaleza CEIF, Andrey Santos from Chelsea, and Tynan Thompson from Tottenham. Youri Tielemans has completed a move from Aston Villa, a deal former United goalkeeper Ben Foster has called the “signing of the summer”.
“For £30m (£35m), whatever it was, he is a ready-made, good-to-go, starting XI player,” Foster said on talkSPORT, arguing that spending that amount on a guaranteed starter is “worth every single penny”.
Yet Foster still sees a gap. “I still think they need that one focal point striker, that one big boy striker. The problem is, where are you going to get it from? And it’s going to cost you £100m.”
United are scouring a tight striker market. Club Brugge’s Nicolo Tresoldi is on their radar, with Chelsea, Tottenham and Barcelona also interested. The Germany Under-21 forward is expected to cost around €45-50million (£39-43m) after Roma had a €35m bid rejected. United view him as competition for Benjamin Sesko, but any move is likely to hinge on Joshua Zirkzee being sold.
Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson has also been tipped as an option. Former United midfielder Quinton Fortune believes the Senegal international could fit the bill.
“He’s just an out-and-out striker,” Fortune said. “He doesn’t really care about anything else apart from getting into the box and getting on the end of whatever service he’s provided, and there’s nothing wrong with that. That’s still the hardest part of the game.”
Again, Zirkzee’s future could dictate what United do.
In midfield, United are back in the hunt for Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton. They see the England youngster as a controller capable of carrying the ball, dictating tempo and taking charge of games. Palace have placed a huge €100million (£86m) valuation on him, while United are thought willing to go as high as £70m. That gap is slowing talks. Chelsea and Real Madrid are also watching closely.
Lamine Camara of Monaco is another name on United’s list. The 22-year-old, valued at around €50million (£43m), is attracting interest from Chelsea, Liverpool and Crystal Palace. Monaco, already braced for departures after Maghnes Akliouche’s move to PSG, will only listen if their price is met.
One pursuit looks dead for now. Eduardo Camavinga, admired by United and reportedly considered for sale by Real Madrid, has made it clear he wants to stay at the Bernabeu regardless of offers. Any Old Trafford move would require a dramatic shift in stance from the Frenchman.
Left-back alternatives and a La Liga release clause
While Hall remains the top left-back target, United are also tracking Racing Santander’s Jorge Salinas. The 19-year-old helped Racing win promotion to La Liga last season and is under contract until 2029.
Barcelona are in the race, and Racing sporting director Chema Aragon has already rejected a £12m-plus offer, insisting only the full €16m release clause will do.
“A club has offered €14m for Jorge Salinas, and Racing have rejected it,” Aragon said. “His release clause is €16 million, and the club will not budge from that figure.”
If United want to beat Barcelona, they know the price.
Wan-Bissaka, Villa and the next move
One former United full-back could also be on the move. Aston Villa have held talks with West Ham over a potential £25million deal for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, according to The Athletic.
Wan-Bissaka spent five years at Old Trafford after joining from Crystal Palace in 2019, then rebuilt his career at West Ham. Villa are weighing up their full-back options, and the 28-year-old’s defensive strength makes him an appealing target.
If that deal happens, it would be another reminder of how quickly the Premier League carousel turns – and how often United alumni remain at the heart of it.
Barthez back with Zidane
On the international stage, a familiar United face has taken on a new role. Fabien Barthez has been appointed France’s new goalkeeping coach, joining forces again with Zinedine Zidane.
The pair were central to France’s golden era, lifting the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 together. Barthez, who earned 87 caps before retiring from international duty in 2006, also spent a memorable spell at Old Trafford after Sir Alex Ferguson signed him from Monaco in 2000.
His return to the national set-up under Zidane will stir nostalgia among United fans who remember the shaved head, the swagger and the spectacular saves.
United’s summer, then, is stretching in every direction: a left-back who wants in, a midfielder they cannot prise out of Madrid, a teenage striker in Belgium, a wonderkid they are desperate to keep, and a captain whose future refuses to settle.
The squad is changing, the hierarchy is reshaping, the noise is only getting louder. The question now is simple: when the window closes and the Champions League anthem hits Old Trafford again, will this rebuilt United look ready for the stage they have been chasing?
