Manchester United supporters must have been dreaming that they could get one over on their arch-rivals Manchester City in the Community Shield Final after Alejandro Garnacho scored late on to hand his side a narrow 1-0 lead.
Ultimately, Erik Ten Hag's men would come away from this contest at Wembley empty-handed, however, as Pep Guardiola's men lifted the silverware courtesy of a penalty shoot-out triumph to start their own campaign in style.
Garnacho did shine in this curtain raiser affair, despite only being on the pitch for 31 minutes after replacing Amad Diallo, and he could now be joined up top this season to come in the Premier League with a new striker teammate.
Manchester United plotting £50m move
As per a report by the Daily Star, Man United are plotting a £50m move for Brighton and Hove Albion striker Evan Ferguson this summer.
The report states that the Red Devils hold a long-standing interest in the 19-year-old hotshot, but are concerned that Chelsea will flex their mega millions yet again and could soon swoop in for Ferguson at their expense.
Having already snapped up Joshua Zirkzee this transfer window so far, purchasing Ferguson for an eye-watering £50m could prove that Man United mean business moving forward this campaign, as Ten Hag aims to bolster his side at the back – with additions such as Matthijs De Light and Noussair Mazraoui imminent – on top of these attacking buys.
What Ferguson can offer Man United
With Rasmus Hojlund also out injured currently, getting in another striker with the new Premier League season kicking off this Friday feels like a smart call to make, with Ferguson and Garnacho potentially even linking up to devastating effect as a raw duo if a move does get off the ground.
Of course, the 19-year-old has gone through the wringer with injury demons of his own, with an ankle injury derailing the back end of his otherwise promising 2023/24 output.
When he wasn't a regular of the Seagulls treatment room, the electric Brighton number 28 managed to fire in six goals from just 15 top-flight starts last campaign, which included a sumptuous strike against Newcastle United (captured above).
Games played
27
Goals scored
6
Assists
0
Expected goals (xG)
4.61 xG
Scoring frequency
231 mins
Shots*
1.2
Big chances missed
4
The 19-year-old does have the potential to become a top performer for a big side such as Man United, with Ferguson even outperforming his xG last season for Brighton as a lethal finisher of chances.
Expected Goals (xG) is a metric designed to measure the probability of a shot resulting in a goal.
Garnacho also proved himself to be a reliable source of goals for Ten Hag's men from down the wing, despite missing eight Premier League games from the start himself, with seven goals bagged from 33 overall top-flight clashes.
He also has an audacious strike up his sleeve like his new potential partner in attack, with this overhead kick against Everton last campaign a standout moment from a stellar season overall for the South American.
Described as a "superstar" after rising all the way up to the first team ranks for Brighton by football pundit Danny Murphy, the time could be right for Ferguson to now move on up to the level of the Red Devils.
It's clear that Ten Hag is attempting to strengthen his squad with top talents for the future, and in the current Seagulls man, they could gain a prolific striker if he remains injury-free.
He might well slot straight into the XI, therefore, next to another hot talent like Garnacho who could have a terrific season himself after opening his campaign account already on Saturday.
Bid submitted: Man Utd make €50m offer to sign "extraordinary" 27 y/o
His current club have made a decision.
2 ByHenry JacksonAug 11, 2024