Cantona 2.0? Manchester United ‘working on a deal’ for Leeds United star
On Thursday morning, 101 covered a report that suggested in an ideal world that Manchester United were targeting a move for West Ham midfielder Declan Rice, but that they would be unlikely to afford both him and Harry Kane, who they are also interested in.
However, given the very public insistence by the Hammers that Rice would cost £150 million, it seems as though the Red Devils are already looking elsewhere, with the Manchester Evening News reporting that a deal for Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips is being worked on ahead of the arrival of a new manager, widely expected to be Erik Ten Hag.
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 07: Kalvin Phillips of England celebrates their side’s victory towards the fans after the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship Semi-final match between England and Denmark at Wembley Stadium on July 07, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Tallis – Pool/Getty Images)
As per Simon Luckhurst, “The United coach-elect Erik ten Hag would have a veto on any players United have already shortlisted but United are understood to be advancing on an intended deal to sign Phillips”.
Would Phillips be the answer?
Phillips, valued at around £60 million by boyhood club and arch-rivals Leeds United, would certainly be a major upgrade on current options in the middle of the park at Manchester United. While they will have to fight off interest from fellow Premier League side Aston Villa, he would immediately make the Red Devils more combative and difficult to play against than current pairing Scott McTominay and Fred.
And, while Leeds United and Manchester United don’t often do business, Phillips could follow in the footsteps of Eric Cantona and become another player that excels after swapping Yorkshire for Lancashire.
Although Phillips has missed much of this season through injury, he remains a top-level midfielder, relied upon by managers at both club and international level. He would certainly flourish at Old Trafford if he can be convinced to abandon his boyhood club.
Read more:
Manchester United target England pair with Ten Hag’s arrival imminent
Real Madrid vs Getafe betting tips: La Liga preview, predictions and odds
Manchester United betting odds, next game:
Manchester United’s latest videos
Inside Training | Cristiano Ronaldo Is BACK As United Prepare For Everton!
Join us at Carrington to watch United prepare for this Saturday’s Premier League fixture…
2022-04-06T17:00:11Z
Play For Tomorrow | Future Proofing
In episode two of our Play for Tomorrow series, with club partner Renewable Energy…
2022-04-06T14:00:26Z
Manchester United latest news
Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City | 30 | 52 | 73 |
| 2 | Liverpool FC | 30 | 57 | 72 |
| 3 | Chelsea FC | 29 | 35 | 59 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 30 | 15 | 54 |
| 5 | Arsenal FC | 29 | 10 | 54 |
| 6 | West Ham United | 31 | 11 | 51 |
| 7 | Manchester United | 30 | 8 | 51 |
| 8 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 31 | 6 | 49 |
| 9 | Crystal Palace | 30 | 4 | 37 |
| 10 | Leicester City | 28 | -4 | 37 |
| 11 | Aston Villa | 30 | 0 | 36 |
| 12 | Southampton FC | 30 | -9 | 36 |
| 13 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 30 | -10 | 34 |
| 14 | Brentford FC | 31 | -11 | 33 |
| 15 | Newcastle United | 30 | -21 | 31 |
| 16 | Leeds United | 31 | -33 | 30 |
| 17 | Everton FC | 28 | -19 | 25 |
| 18 | Watford FC | 30 | -28 | 22 |
| 19 | Burnley FC | 28 | -18 | 21 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 30 | -45 | 18 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 20 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 14 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 14 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 12 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 12 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 12 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 11 |
| Mahrez, Riyad | Manchester City | 10 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 10 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City | 10 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 10 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace | 10 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 9 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 9 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 9 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 9 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 9 |
| Smith-Rowe, Emile | Arsenal FC | 9 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 8 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 8 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neves, Ruben | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 9 |
| Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa | 0 | 9 |
| Brownhill, Josh | Burnley FC | 0 | 9 |
| Mctominay, Scott | Manchester United | 0 | 9 |
| Firpo, Junior | Leeds United | 0 | 9 |
| Salisu, Mohammed | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 7 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 0 | 8 |
| Moreno, Rodrigo | Leeds United | 0 | 8 |
| Cash, Matty | Aston Villa | 0 | 8 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa | 0 | 8 |
| Tarkowski, James | Burnley FC | 0 | 8 |
| Shaw, Luke | Manchester United | 0 | 8 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 7 |
| Maguire, Harry | Manchester United | 0 | 7 |
| Romero, Cristian | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 8 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 8 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 7 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 1 | 6 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 11 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 10 |
| Robertson, Andy | Liverpool FC | 10 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 9 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 8 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 7 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 7 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City | 7 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 7 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 6 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 6 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 6 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 6 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 6 |
| Mbeumo, Bryan | Brentford FC | 6 |
| Cancelo, Joao | Manchester City | 6 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 5 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 5 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 5 |
