Manchester United are on course to finish in the Champions League this season and their squad could be boosted in the future with the signing of Utrecht midfielder Taylor Booth.
Eric ten Hag has developed Manchester United into an impressive side. He brought in two players from the Eredivisie last summer, Antony and Lisandro Martinez, from his former club Ajax.
The United manager could be set to raid the Dutch league again with Mail Online reporting that ten Hag is an admirer of Booth.
Booth’s career so far
Booth was born in the USA and spent his youth career with Real Salt Lake before joining Bayern Munich’s academy.
He only made one senior appearance for Bayern in a DFB-Pokal match against Bremer SV. Booth was loaned out to Austrian side SKN St. Pölten where he scored three goals in 15 matches.
After his stint in Austin, Booth moved to Utrecht permanently and has so far scored twice and created three assists in 16 games. He was also named Eredivisie Player of the Month last November.
Booth is yet to make a senior appearance for the U.S. men’s national team but has represented their youth teams. He is also eligible to play for Italy through his father.
Would he be a good fit at Manchester United?
The midfielder is still just 21 years old, so if he was to make the move to Old Trafford in the summer he may benefit from a loan. At the moment, Booth is unlikely to get into the team ahead of Casemiro, Christian Erikson or Marcel Sabitzer.
Booth has shown that he is willing to play in different leagues, so a loan from United to one of Europe’s other top leagues would be a great next step in his career. He has shown he can perform in the Austrian Bundesliga and the Eredivisie. Therefore, if he could perform that in La Liga, Ligue 1, the Bundesliga or even the Championship then that would put him in good stead in breaking through at United.
Ten Hag has a lot in common with Booth. The United manager was the coach at Bayern Munich II a few years before the American joined. Ten Hag also played for and managed Utrecht. The Dutchman has shown he will give young players and players from different leagues a chance, so if Booth feels he is ready to make the move to one of the biggest clubs in the World, then United would be a good option right now.
There have been a lot of USMNT players who have started their careers in Germany and made the move to the Premier League. These include Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie, Booth could be the next American to make that move.
Booth is predominantly a central midfielder but he can play in a defensive role and at right-back. This versatility would be useful in breaking through at United. His next game for Utrecht will be against Heerenveen tomorrow.