Lamine Yamal is attempting to follow in the footsteps of the greatest footballer ever, Lionel Messi, and is doing an admirable job.

The young Spaniard is among the best players in the world today, and could even put himself in contention for the 2026 Ballon d’Or if he guides his country to 2026 World Cup glory over the summer. At just 18 years old, he’s ridiculously good.

Yamal has just snapped up the 2025-26 La Liga Player of the Season award after playing a major role in Barcelona’s successful title defence. The winger already has over 100 goal contributions for his club in just 151 senior appearances.

Patrice Evra Thinks He Would Deal With Yamal Easily

One man who thinks he would’ve had no issues against the tricky winger in his prime is Manchester United legend Patrice Evra. The former French full-back is extremely confident, even claiming he’d ‘eat him alive’.

In a recent interview, the man who made 349 appearances for the Red Devils told Yamal to just ask Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. He said:

There aren’t many defenders on the planet who would be confident in saying the wonderkid wouldn’t get the better of them. Evra is among the best defenders in Premier League history, having won five Premier League titles and one Champions League.

On the way to that European trophy in the 2007-08 campaign, United faced Barcelona in the semi-final, and none other than Messi. The Argentine was still young at the time, but was already building a reputation as one of the hardest players to face in world football, much like Yamal is now.

Patrice Evra: I Dealt With Messi ‘Easily’

Speaking on The Overlap in 2024, Gary Neville asked his former colleague about his battles with Messi in both legs of that semi-final in 2008. The ex-France international put in an impressive display as United stopped Barca from scoring in either match.

“For me, as a defender, it was easy to catch Messi, the only problem was when he played in the middle part. When he was on my side, it was fine, but when he played in the middle and you came late, he would destroy anyone,” Evra explained.

However, he was on the losing side in three Champions League finals against Messi. The Argentine superstar scored in the 2009 and 2011 finals and played a significant role as Barca defeated Juventus in 2015. Directly against Evra in all three games, although drifting into the pockets as the ex-United man pointed out, it’s safe to say Messi won the battle overall.

Tottenham cult hero Steffen Freund believes that Erling Haaland would be the dream signing for Roberto De Zerbi this summer, stating that what Spurs already have in attack is “not good enough”.

Spurs escaped a shock relegation to the Championship by the skin of their teeth on the final day of the Premier League season by beating Everton 1-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and condemning rivals West Ham to the second tier instead.

De Zerbi has already made hs first move in the summer transfer window – signing a player Spurs almost brought in in January, by agreeing a deal for Andy Robertson to join on a free transfer from Liverpool.

Man City threatened Real Madrid with legal action over Haaland

Having been brought in to rescue the club at the end of March, De Zerbi has been working with a squad that was not his own and he will now want to use the summer transfer window to make his own changes and improvements.

Haaland is never going to make the move from Manchester City to Spurs, with the Citizens threatening Real Madrid with legal action this week after it emerged that presidential candidate Enrique Riquelme said he would sign the Norwegian if he arrived at the club.

But Freund knows that is where Spurs need to strengthen and he even named three players who should probably move on this summer too.

In a blog for Betway, he said: “I would take Erling Haaland, the best striker in the Premier League. Don’t forget, they lost Harry Kane and Heung-min Son. Those two players did a huge job and that’s why Spurs were always in Europe or in the Champions League, even the Champions League final. They came close to silverware, but they were always top six and maybe top four.

Spurs stars are not good enough for De Zerbi

Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge

“But I think a top striker is so helpful. Ask Vincent Kompany at Bayern [Munich] about Harry Kane. That’s why I would take Haaland, because he’s young, physically strong, and he will score goals.

“You can see it with Richarlison, [Randal] Kolo Muani, [Dominic] Solanke, are they good enough to bring Spurs back to the top six? At the moment, I would say no.

“They were too inconsistent with all of those players, so it is up to De Zerbi to get them back to the top level. Did they play all the games successfully? No. So that is why I would take Haaland.”

Manchester United’s summer rebuild could continue with the acquisition of a new left-back. Newcastle’s Lewis Hall remains high on the wishlist, but Michael Carrick’s side have supposedly identified three potential targets for the position.

All the Manchester United transfer talk thus far has surrounded the midfield, but it seems that the recruitment team have also identified a gap at the left-back position. The experienced Luke Shaw will be the only recognised left-back option once the injury-plagued Tyrell Malacia departs the club upon the expiry of his contract this summer. And with Champions League football beckoning, the Red Devils will need to add depth to support Shaw, who himself is no stranger to injury layoffs.

United do have a versatile left-sided option in Patrick Dorgu, but the 21-year-old is seemingly being developed as a left-winger as opposed to a defensive option. It has been reported by Teamtalk that Hall has emerged as a serious contender for the left-back vacancy at Old Trafford, but it will be difficult to pry the England international away from Newcastle.

Lewis Hall top of the list, but Man Utd eye two further left-back options

The 21-year-old, described as “outstanding” by manager Eddie Howe on a number of occasions, will still be reflecting on his omission from Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad, but Hall will be proud of his efforts thus far at Newcastle, having built a quietly impressive reputation since making his initial loan move from Chelsea permanent in 2024. Having featured frequently over the last three seasons, Newcastle have reportedly placed a £60million price tag on the left-back.

However, Hall is not the only left-sided defender on Carrick’s watchlist this summer. Two more young European stars have been linked with United: Eintracht Frankfurt’s Nathaniel Brown and Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde.

Brown and Balde, like Hall, both present promising long-term options. Balde has already racked up over a century of appearances for Barcelona, whilst Brown has enjoyed a breakthrough season at Frankfurt. His double-figure goal contributions saw him voted the club’s Player of the Year for 2025/26, establishing himself as Germany’s first choice left-back in the process.

Bayern Munich to battle Man Utd for Brown?

Unsurprisingly, Bayern Munich are providing stiff competition for Brown in his native Germany. Reportedly valued at £55million, Premier League clubs’ willingness to spend more could price Vincent Kompany’s side out of a deal. Arsenal, Manchester City, and Chelsea also remain interested in Brown.

Barcelona started their summer window spending with the arrival of Anthony Gordon, and it’s reported that further high-profile signings are being targeted. And in order to balance the books, Alejandro Balde could find himself leaving the Catalan giants.

Lewis Hall remains United’s top left-back target, but for now, Carrick’s side are keeping their options open. With their first Champions League campaign in three years on the horizon, the summer’s recruitment will prove crucial to United’s longevity on all fronts.