Manchester United are looking to sign a left-back this summer, and the club’s hierarchy have seemingly compiled a four-man shortlist of potential options for this position.

The Red Devils have thus far focused on rebuilding their midfield in this window, after Casemiro left at the end of the campaign and Manuel Ugarte suffered a serious knee injury at the World Cup. Youri Tielemans has been acquired from Aston Villa in a £35million deal, while United have also landed Andrey Santos from Chelsea for £50million.

More work needs to be done, particularly in the full-back positions. While a right-back could be on the agenda, a left-back is the priority, with Patrick Dorgu being predominantly used as a winger by Michael Carrick and the injury-prone Luke Shaw entering the latter stages of his career.

With that said, here are four targets the north-west club have reportedly identified to fill this role in their squad.

Lewis Hall

Club: Newcastle United

Age: 21

It’s widely understood that Lewis Hall is United’s dream target for this position. Reputable journalist Laurie Whitehall has reported multiple times that Hall is hugely admired at Old Trafford, and it’s a deal they’d love to get done.

However, with Newcastle suffering something of a mass exodus of star players this summer, it remains to be seen whether they’d sanction this departure. Sandro Tonali has already left for Tottenham in a £100million deal, Anthony Gordon joined Barcelona earlier this summer, and Arsenal are aggressively pursuing club captain Bruno Guimaraes.

If the Gunners secure the Brazilian’s signature, Eddie Howe will arguably have lost his three best players in one window. If they were to lose Hall as well, all of a sudden the Magpies would be dealing with a decimated squad.

Thus, it’s plausible that the fee will become too substantial for United to make a serious move for Hall this summer. Regardless, they remain interested in the 21-year-old, who would undoubtedly be an excellent long-term replacement for Shaw.

Antonee Robinson

Club: Fulham

Age: 28

Antonee Robinson has emerged as a surprise target for United, with the Guardian reporting that the Red Devils are considering the American full-back.

The Fulham defender has established himself as a dependable Premier League left-back, performing excellently at Craven Cottage for a number of years. However, after a move to Liverpool failed to materialise last summer, it seemed as though his chance of securing a move to a top club had passed.

That said, United could offer the United States international a lifeline in this sense. Marco Silva often favoured Ryan Sessegnon at left-back last season, and while it remains to be seen whether Alvaro Arbeloa echoes these sentiments, this could prompt the Cottagers to cash in whilst they still can.

Robinson is on the older side, so wouldn’t be a long-term Shaw successor, but he could plug the gap for a handful of years, before someone like Hall becomes available.

Alejandro Balde

Club: Barcelona

Age: 22

Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde has emerged as a genuine alternative to Hall for United. TEAMtalk report that there are doubts around the 22-year-old’s future at the Nou Camp, with the player entering the final two years of his contract, and there have been no indications that a new deal is being negotiated.

When Balde broke into the Barcelona first team, there was a belief that he’d hold down the left-hand side of the Catalan defence for years to come. However, some injury issues have curtailed his development, and he could now be ready for a fresh challenge.

That said, the Spaniard was still Hansi Flick’s first-choice left-back last season, so his departure would probably need the German’s approval.

Stylistically, Balde would be able to replace the overlapping and offensive qualities that Shaw has consistently delivered throughout his time at Old Trafford.

Givairo Read

via Reuters

Club: Feyenoord

Age: 20

Givairo Read is one of the hottest young left-backs in Europe at the moment, having enjoyed two impressive breakout seasons at Feyenoord now. While Liverpool have been the club most heavily linked with the Dutchman, United have also been mentioned in the conversations around Read.

Similarly to Balde and Hall, the 20-year-old is outstanding as an outlet, able to receive passes high up the pitch and then influence proceedings in the final third. This attribute will be essential for any potential incoming left-back if Carrick plans to keep using Matheus Cunha on the left wing. Cunha thrives in the half spaces, meaning he needs someone to provide the width on the outside of him.

Given he’d be coming from the Eredivisie, United may be able to land Read for a reasonable price — certainly significantly below the likes of Hall and Balde.

Djed Spence

Club: Tottenham Hotspur

Age: 25

Along the Robinson lines, United could opt for an experienced Premier League defender, rather than a younger player who can grow alongside Carrick’s evolving project. Football Insider report that the Red Devils are lining up a surprise move for Djed Spence, who would fall into this category.

It remains to be seen whether Tottenham would sanction a move for the World Cup star, although given Pedro Porro’s excellent form at the tournament, as well as the presence of Destiny Udogie and Andy Robertson in Roberto De Zerbi’s squad, there is no clear role for him in North London. United, on the other hand, can assure him of regular minutes.

While he might not provide the attacking quality Shaw does on the left, he’s an outstanding defensive alternative to the 31-year-old, while his versatility also means he can cover the right-hand side. As aforementioned, United could still pursue a right-back this summer, but they could simply choose to kill two birds with one stone by signing Spence instead.

It makes sense for all parties.

Robert Lewandowski made his long-awaited Chicago Fire debut on Wednesday evening as he featured in their defeat to Inter Miami.

The legendary striker, now 37 years old, left Europe and joined the MLS side this summer after his contract with Barcelona expired. He penned a two-year deal with The Men in Red.

He was named in Chicago Fire’s starting lineup for the first time on Wednesday evening for their MLS match against Inter Miami at Miami Stadium.

Lewandowski, considered one of the greatest strikers in football history, played 62 minutes before making way for Robin Lod. Despite being without Lionel Messi, Inter Miami won the match 3-2, with Luis Suarez bagging a brace.

Chicago Fire Fans Make Feelings Clear About Robert Lewandowski

Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Lewandowski failed to perform at his best in his Chicago Fire debut. Statistics website SofaScore have given him a rating of 6.5/10 for his performance.

He managed just one shot, which came in the 14th minute. It was blocked. He was accurate with 16 of his 17 passes, completed one of his two dribbles and lost possession four times.

Chicago Fire supporters have given their verdict on Lewandowski’s display and many have been left underwhelmed.

One fan said: ‘S*** debut for RL9 who was basically invisible both sides of the ball.’ Another commented: ”Lewy’s debut underwhelming. This better be his worst game in a Fire uniform.’

While a third stated: ‘Awful first impression from Lewandowski. Waiting almost 3 months for that performance. Classic Fire game I must say.’

Others are willing to give Lewandowski more of a chance. One said: ‘Lewa needs more time with the team to get acclimated,’ while another commented: ‘Needs time to get adjusted to teammates, it was a little frustrating seeing our players try to force the ball to him when there were clearly better options. Thought he did okay.’

While one wrote: ‘Little to no real service unless he dropped deep to get on the ball more and help progression. He had a couple of cool little moments that showed he’s still a quality player, otherwise, it was a rather underwhelming debut for him. I’m still going to give it another 2 or 3 games until I form a real opinion on him.’

Robert Lewandowski Speaks Out After Debut

Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Lewandowski admitted after the game that he needs more time to get up to speed. He said, per Sports Illustrated:

“Before the game I knew I could play a maximum of 60 minutes. One week is not a lot of time to be ready. Before the game I tried my best to prepare. The game was tough for us. In the end, I think we made too many easy mistakes and Inter Miami scored the goals. So we have to keep working. I think for the next game, with more knowledge, it will be better.

“In football, you never have everything from the first day. You need to keep working. You need to play games to understand your teammates, how they play, the movements.”

Lewandowski will look to score his first goal for his new club in their next match against New York City on Saturday evening.

A four-time Grand Slam winner has blamed her ex-husband for losing her £31 million fortune.

Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, now 54, was a prominent tennis player in the 1990s. She was a Wimbledon finalist in both 1995 and 1996 and an Australian Open finalist in 1994 and 1995. She is also a three-time winner of the French Open, with her victories coming in 1989, 1994, and 1998. Not only that, but she also won the US Open in 1994.

She also won three of the four Grand Slams in doubles. She won three Australian Open titles, one Wimbledon title, and two US Open titles. If that wasn’t impressive enough, the Spaniard also won three out of the four Grand Slams in mixed doubles as well, only missing out on Wimbledon.

She has been ranked number one in both singles and doubles.

Arantxa Sanchez Vicario Controversies

Via Reuters

She was married to entrepreneur Josep Santacana for 11 years, between 2008 and 2019. During their marriage, the pair had two children, a son and a daughter.

During her playing career and in the aftermath of it, Sanchez Vicario faced a series of criminal charges relating to fraud accusations. Between 1989 and 1993, she had falsely claimed to be a resident of Andorra for tax purposes, while she was actually residing in Barcelona, Spain. She was ordered to pay back taxes and penalty fees.

This continued as in 2009 she was found guilty of tax evasion and ordered to repay 3.5 million euros. In 2015, Banque de Luxembourg successfully filed a complaint against her for credit and property fraud amounting to $5.2 million but were unable to recoup the money.

In 2023, Sanchez Vicario and her now ex-husband went to trial having been accused of hiding assets to avoid paying back a debt owed to a bank. For that, she was handed a two-year suspended prison sentence and was told to pay £5.5m worth of debt.

Via Reuters

She is currently paying off her huge debts while working as a tennis instructor in the USA. She has to hand over 50% of her wages.

Despite this, the 54-year-old places the blame on her ex-husband for the loss of her fortune.

Arantxa Sanchez Vicario Blames Ex-Husband For Financial Issues

In a recent interview with a Spanish TV show called Universo Callejo, Sanchez Vicario said: “I trusted him because he was the father of my children. I fell blindly in love, but he really isn’t the person I thought he was.”

She confirmed the loss of £31m in earnings when saying: “It’s true. I focused on playing tennis and never handled my own financial affairs because I didn’t know how.

Albert Gea via Reuters

On avoiding prison in 2023, she said: “I did not go to jail because I am paying 50% of my earnings to the bank. I am complying when deep down I was a victim. It was a shock. I had to go to therapy because I couldn’t believe it. It was like waking up from a dream and thinking, this can’t be happening to me.”