Manchester United eye move for free agent forward amid winger shortage
By Evan Curnew
It is no secret that there is a lot of turmoil around Manchester United right now. The club is dealing with two big issues. One is the situation between manager Erik ten Hag and winger Jadon Sancho. The English international has felt he’s become a scapegoat at the club and recently was dropped from the Red Devils’ matchday squad reportedly for poor training. As The Top Flight has covered, it looks as though those two are meeting to understand each other better. The much more sensitive issue at the club is the allegations against Antony, who, for the time being, is away from the club pending further investigation.
It’s unclear when either player may see the field again for Manchester United, but both have played significant minutes in recent times, despite Sancho being recently dropped. Erik ten Hag now has fewer options at his disposal on the wings. It is now being reported that the recent developments at the club could see United turn to the free-agent market.
Manchester United shortlist Anwar El Ghazi as a potential free agent signing
According to Chris Wheeler of the Daily Mail, free agent Anwar El Ghazi is considered an option for United in a search to find a replacement for Antony & Sancho with the window closed. Wheeler says that El Ghazi has offers from Saudi Arabia, but joining United is now another option on the table for the Dutch winger.
Anwar El Ghazi’s contract with Dutch side Ajax was terminated in time for him to be eligible to sign for clubs outside of the summer transfer window. El Ghazi played just one full season at Ajax since his return from Premier League Aston Villa. The winger joined the Villians from Ligue 1 side Lille in 2018 and went on to make 119 appearances at the club.
El Ghazi has senior caps for the Netherlands, but he is not cap-tied and remains eligible to play for Morocco. The player is unlikely to provide much of a stop-gap until the mentioned situations are resolved, but he may be one of the better forward options available on a relatively skim free-agent market.