Manchester United’s protracted pursuit of a left-back remains unresolved this summer, with the Premier League season now less than seven days away.
The Red Devils have been courting Newcastle United’s Lewis Hall throughout the summer, but the Magpies are seemingly unwilling to budge on the England international. Having already lost Sandro Tonali to Tottenham, Anthony Gordon to Barcelona and Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal, as well as their manager Eddie Howe, the Tynesiders aren’t prepared to further deplete themselves by selling yet another of their best players.
Evidently, the pursuit of Hall isn’t likely to pay off, and United should be fully aware of this by now. They cannot afford to sit around and not bolster this position, even if they still fancy their chances of landing Newcastle’s first-choice left-back in an upcoming window.
Luke Shaw may have played in all 38 league matches last season, but this unusual robustness isn’t likely to continue in the 2026/27 campaign, particularly with the addition of Champions League football. Meanwhile, Michael Carrick has made it clear that he views Patrick Dorgu as a winger.
With that said, United should quickly pivot to Fulham’s Antonee Robinson as a stop-gap solution.
Antonee Robinson is the Short-Term Answer For Man Utd at Left-Back
United are set to head into the new season with just one senior left-back at their disposal. While Dorgu, Noussair Mazraoui and Lisandro Martinez can be used in this role if needed, there is currently a lot of pressure on injury-prone 31-year-old Shaw to remain fit.
For this reason, they must accelerate their pursuit of a left-sided defender in the coming days, and Robinson is quickly emerging as the most viable option.
Clearly, Robinson isn’t a long-term solution in this position for United, having recently turned 29. However, he’s available for a minimal fee, has plenty of Premier League experience and would be able to slot into Carrick’s set-up immediately.
An exceptional possession passer from deep, the United States international would be a nice analogue for Shaw, who has developed into this type of player as he’s aged. That said, Robinson is arguably more athletic than his English counterpart at this stage of their respective careers, and might be able to offer more in the final third as a marauding full-back.
Robinson would likely be more than happy to make the switch to Old Trafford, meaning United might be able to secure him on a short-term contract on modest wages. This means there’s minimal downside, and they’ll still be able to move for Hall or another exciting young target next summer.
It’s a no-brainer for the Red Devils’ hierarchy, especially considering Luke Shaw’s poor performance in the last pre-season friendly against AC Milan on Saturday.
Fees correct prior to summer 2026
All 10 found — excellent!
Robinson and Hall’s Stats Compared
Robinson has been one of the best left-backs in the Premier League for a few years now, and is arguably ready for the step up to being a squad player at a Champions League team.
“Being clear, what a performance from him. What a performance. Brilliant, unbelievable performance from him, and I told him at the end of the game that he has to be really proud.” – Marco Silva after a Robinson performance in December 2024 (via Fulham.com).
Despite the player’s pedigree and the admiration for him from former boss Marco Silva, United supporters might be concerned that Robinson falls significantly below Hall’s level. However, as shown by the data below, the two players actually profile somewhat similarly statistically.
Statistical Comparison (League Only)
Stat
Hall (2025/26)
Robinson (2024/25)
Appearances
30
36
Goals
1
0
Assists
1
10
Pass Accuracy
85.2%
81%
Chances Created Per 90
1.03
1.22
Expected Assists Per 90
0.11
0.12
Successful Passes Per 90
44.4
37.5
Defensive Contributions Per 90
7.15
8.21
While Hall might be a slightly higher-volume passer, Robinson boasts superior creative numbers and is more active defensively. The former Everton man is the perfect short-term stand-in for Hall, assuming the England man does eventually make the switch to the north-west.
All Statistics via FotMob – correct as of 15/08/2026
Emiliano Martinez is edging ever closer to the Aston Villa exit door, with Juventus making a fresh bid to sign the goalkeeper this summer, according to the Athletic.
Martinez has long been linked with a departure from Villa Park, and could have left last summer when Manchester United made a move late in the transfer window to sign him on loan.
Speculation has been rife surrounding his future once more this summer with Juventus heavily tipped to sign the 33-year-old and the two clubs are getting ever closer to an agreement over a price, according to reports.
Aston Villa are understood to want a fee in the region of €10million (£8.5million) to sanction the sale of the shot-stopper, with the Italian giants making a new bid to sign him. According to the Athletic, the gap between the two clubs is narrowing, with Juve willing to pay €7million with a further €3million in add-ons. Villa are understood to want a fixed €10m fee that is not contingent on add-ons.
Martinez wants to make the move to Turin, with personal terms not understood to be an issue.
Villa began their season on Wednesday with the UEFA Super Cup clash against Paris Saint-Germain, with the French champions winning 2-1. Martinez was not named in Unai Emery’s squad for the clash, but that was no surprise given he has only just returned to training following Argentina’s run to the final of the World Cup, in which he played every match.
Islam Makhachev retained his UFC welterweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 in Philadelphia last night, and, as is normal, there will be some fighters who are now fancying their chances and believe they should get a shot at taking the title from him and becoming the first person to beat him since 2015.
One such fighter has made his intentions clear via social media, and the tone and content of his call-out have caused him to be the recipient of a significant amount of backlash, especially given his recent showings in combat sports.
The Russian feels that fellow welterweight Carlos Prates should be next in line, and also mentioned Michael Morales and Shavkat Rakhmonov as potential opponents.
Understandably, one of the names who was not brought up was Dillon Danis. Two problems immediately emerge, as not only is Danis’ weight around 175-180lbs, which is in the light heavyweight region, but he also last competed in Misfits Boxing, which is not the most competitive promotion and isn’t great for a fighter’s reputation.
Nevertheless, the 32-year-old American has thrown his hat into the ring and hasn’t minced his words, posting on X: “For the love of f****** Dana Hunter White, give me Islam Makhachev. Let me be the one to end this inbred rat once and for all. Revenge is a dish best served cold.”
His post didn’t go down very well with those who saw it.
“You got to finish your fights with the security guy and janitor first, and then maybe in next life you’ll get fight,” one user responded.
“Bro loves getting his a** kicked by muslim brothers,” another said.
“Genuinely, who are you? The biggest highlight of your career was getting chocked out by a bouncer and losing to a YouTuber,” read another savage reply.
“Mate, you’ve lost every competitive fight in every discipline in the last 5 years. Just go back to Bjj, and get some credibility back,” and “Couldn’t even win against Logan Paul. You think you have a chance with Islam at welterweight?” read two further replies.
Dillon Danis is a Laughing Stock in Combat World
Clearly, if Danis thought people would’ve forgotten about what happened in 2023, he had another thing coming. On the undercard of KSI vs Tommy Fury, Danis put on a farcical performance against Logan Paul, where he threw himself to the ground at every opportunity, and it looked like he was trying to do MMA at times during a boxing match.
After behaving this way for a number of rounds, the referee had enough and disqualified Danis in the sixth and final round of their bout in Manchester.
What other MMA fans will remember Danis for is being in the corner of Conor McGregor for his mega showdown against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229. After Khabib had submitted McGregor in the fourth round, he had tunnel vision on the opposing corner, hopped over the fence, and launched an attack on the Irishman’s team, especially targeting Danis.
As much as Danis himself seems up for the fight, it is a good bet that neither Makhachev nor UFC President Dana White will remotely entertain the idea, as the gap in reputation and skill level between the two fighters looks worlds apart.
Celtic are considering a move for Torino midfielder Gvidas Gineitis as a replacement for West Ham-bound Arne Engels, according to reports.
Gineitis impressed in his 29 Serie A appearances last season for Il Toro, prompting several clubs to closely monitor his situation in Turin. Celtic, who are about to lose star man Engels to the Hammers, have identified the Lithuanian as a potential successor to the Belgian’s throne at Celtic Park.
Engels is set to complete his £22 million switch to the London Stadium this week, joining Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad after enjoying an excellent campaign in the Scottish Premiership last season.
The Glaswegian outfit are prepared to move quickly to source a replacement to ensure they don’t endure a slow start to the season, and Gineitis is one of a number of players they’re considering to fill this vacancy in their squad.
Celtic Want Engels Replacement Through the Door Quickly
Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers
Engels was instrumental in Celtic’s dramatic title victory last season, netting seven goals and providing eight assists across all competitions for the Hoops. Martin O’Neill cannot afford to lack a player of the 22-year-old’s calibre in the middle of the park for too long, with a hugely important Champions League qualification tie against LASK coming up over the next two weeks.
Thus, replacing Engels is a priority for the Scottish giants’ hierarchy, and it appears as though they’ve already started the process of finding the Belgium international’s successor.
According to Sky Sports, Gineitis is one of two names currently considered as the prime target for this position.
Celtic have drawn up a shortlist of potential Engels substitutes, and the 22-year-old Torino man ranks highly alongside Hajduk Split’s Niko Sigur. It’s not yet clear what sort of fee Torino would demand for the Lithuania international, whose contract in Italy expires in 2029.
Fees correct prior to summer 2026
All 10 found — excellent!
Arne Engels and Gvidas Gineitis’ Statistics Compared
While Gineitis is being dubbed an Engels replacement, the two players actually profile very differently from a statistical standpoint.
Engels is exceptional in the final third, creating chances for teammates and getting on the end of moves at an impressive rate. Gineitis, on the other hand, hardly impacts the game in this area of the pitch, instead making a number of vital defensive contributions.
Statistical Comparison 2025/26 (League Only)
Stat
Engels
Gineitis
Appearances
30
29
Goals
5
0
Assists
3
1
Shots per 90
1.39
1.38
Pass Accuracy
82.7%
76.4%
Expected Assists per 90
0.2
0.12
Defensive Contributions per 90
3.67
5.36
That said, it’s possible that these numbers are a symptom of the teams the two players’ played in. Celtic are extremely dominante in the Scottish top flight, while Gineitis played for a mid-table side in Torino, who had much less of the ball. It remains to be seen how his skillset would translate to a possession-dominant side.
All Statistics via FotMob – correct as of 15/08/2026
