Erik ten Hag can give Man Utd their very own Trent Alexander-Arnold with transfer deal

There were reports this week suggesting Manchester United were in advanced talks with RC Lens to sign France defender Jonathan Clauss. It now seems likely that the France international will be joining Marseille instead, however United's interest in the right-back highlights that it’s a position Erik ten Hag is eager to strengthen.

The club invested heavily in this area back in 2019, signing Aaron Wan-Bissaka for £50million. However the 24-year-old has failed to deliver at Old Trafford so far. He was the first-choice right-back under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, yet struggled for game time under Ralf Rangnick who often favoured Diogo Dalot.

Although perceived as a solid defender, Wan-Bissaka is often found wanting from an attacking perspective, a point captured by the fact he’s accumulated just eight league assists during his three seasons at the club.

Lens’ Clauss registered a standout ten assists plus a further five goals last season, therefore United’s interest in the defender suggests Ten Hag is looking to add more attacking profiles to his wing-back positions. The recent signing of Tyrell Malacia would affirm this thought process too.

A drawback of Clauss’ though, and perhaps a key reason why United didn’t pursue him further, is the fact he turns 30 in September. Ten Hag of course has an excellent pedigree in terms of working with younger players, and it’s more than likely he’d prefer to work with a more youthful profile that he can mould and shape to thrive within his philosophy.

This is why a move for a player like Lyon’s Malo Gusto would make even more sense. He proved to be one of the breakout stars in Ligue 1 last season, making 30 league appearances while registering four assists.

Although still just a teenager, the