Fabrizio Romano claims Manchester United 'will' sign a left-back this summer as Premier League star monitored

Manchester United are reportedly determined to bolster their left back options this summer after an underwhelming Premier League season which saw the club fall to a lacklustre eighth place finish.

Over the course of the 2023/24 season, first choice left back Luke Shaw managed a grand total of just 15 appearances across all competitions as he struggled with two long-term injuries. Meanwhile, Netherlands ace Tyrell Malacia has been absent from the first team picture since way back in May 2023.

This often meant that right sided defenders such as Diogo Dalot and Aaron Wan Bissaka were forced to play out of position on the left. While on occasion natural central midfielder Sofyan Amrabat and central defender Victor Linedlof were forced to play in an unfamiliar area on the left. 

The Red Devils are keen to avoid finding themselves in the same scenario next season and are keen to sure up their defensive record. With this in mind, the club have therefore set their sights on a young defender, who they hope can one day become the successor to Shaw. Fabrizio Romano reports that the player at the top of Manchester United’s list of targets is Bournemouth youngster Milos Kerkez.

The 20-year-old has enjoyed a stellar first season in English football since making the move to the south coast from Dutch side AZ Alkmaar. The Hungarian international made 28 league appearances for Andoni Iraola’s side last term and helped the team secure a comfortable 12th place finish despite many pundits tipping them for the drop.

Kerkez is renowned for his excellent pace, his ability to bomb forward and his brilliant work rate at both ends of the pitch. With 15 caps for Hungary since 2022, he has been a major part of Marco Rossi’s team which breezed through Euro 2024 qualifying without losing any of their eight games - finishing above the likes of Serbia, Montenegro, Lithuania and Bulgaria. The starlet also played in the team that comfortably defeated England on two occasions in the Nations League back in 2022.

At just 20-years of age, Kerkez has bags of potential to be a star for years to come. However, the Cherries are unlikely to let the youngster leave on the cheap and will want to make a significant profit on the £15.5m they invested last summer if he was to depart.

New Manchester United shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe hinted that the club’s recruitment policy would be trying to find the best young players to develop rather than just high-profile names and Kerkez after a strong showing in the Premier League appears to be the type of profile that fits the bill.

The youngster gets his Euro 2024 campaign underway against Switzerland on Saturday 15 June before facing tournament hosts Germany, and Scotland in the final group game.

Speaking about his arrival last year Bournemouth chief executive Neill Blake said: “We are delighted to announce the signing of Milos, a talented young player with a great deal of potential.

“He was being tracked by a number of clubs in Europe but was very keen to join us after hearing about our plans and ambitions for the future. An athletic and attacking full-back, Milos will be an excellent addition to our exciting squad and we are looking forward to working with him.”