Manchester United\u2019s rebuild is still being shaped by the fallout from a dismal 2024-25 season, one that ended with defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final. After that setback, the club moved to refresh midfield, with Michael Carrick steering them to third place and back into the Champions League after replacing Ruben Amorim at the start of the year.<\/p>\n
Even so, questions remain over whether the squad has been fully strengthened for the demands ahead. United made no late-summer addition at left back, leaving an obvious area of concern unresolved. Luke Shaw is now 31 and into the final year of his contract, and while he enjoyed a surprising injury-free campaign in 2025-26, the club cannot assume that run will continue through the added workload of European football.<\/p>\n
The current alternatives do not offer the level of assurance United need, especially with possession-based structure so dependent on the left side functioning properly. A winter move would therefore make sense, whether for immediate cover or a longer-term successor.<\/p>\n
Alejandro Balde is the most eye-catching name on the list. He was once viewed as Jordi Alba\u2019s natural heir at Barcelona and excelled during the club\u2019s La Liga-winning 2022-23 season, producing six assists in 33 matches. Injury and a strained relationship with Hansi Flick have complicated matters since then, and with Xavi Espart emerging, a move next year appears plausible. He would be a statement signing, although his reduction in status under Flick and his seven Spain caps suggest caution is warranted.<\/p>\n
Rayan A\u00eft-Nouri was also assessed in the summer and, according to BBC Sport, United could have signed him if they had chosen to do so. The Algerian offers strong technique in possession, though the club was not persuaded at the time.<\/p>\n
A short-term fix is also possible, and United have tried that route before with Sergio Reguil\u00f3n. If the focus is on the future, Joaquin Seys of Club Brugge stands out. The 21-year-old has eight Belgium caps, was included in Rudi Garcia\u2019s World Cup squad, and impressed against France\u2019s Ousmane Demb\u00e9l\u00e9.<\/p>\n
Destiny Udogie remains a major talent, but injuries are a clear concern. Lewis Hall would be ideal, yet his Newcastle United contract extension makes a move unlikely unless an extreme fee is paid. David Raum is another name in circulation and, at 28, he could offer more than a stopgap solution.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Manchester United face a left-back decision, with Luke Shaw\u2019s future uncertain and several options under review.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21601,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[179,172,1163],"tags":[1836,242,182],"class_list":["post-21602","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-manchester-united","category-epl","category-transfers","tag-2026-27-premier-league","tag-injury","tag-transfers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21602","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21602"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21602\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21602"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21602"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}