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.
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.
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
England’s 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.
Fees correct prior to summer 2026
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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.
The FA have released a statement regarding an incident involving two England youth players at a training camp back in October 2025.
Two Three Lions under-16 trainees were involved in a brawl during a training camp, and footage of the fight has recently gone viral on social media. The players involved were actively egged on by their teammates, who were standing around filming the incident.
The scrap has raised concerns about the safeguarding of youngsters on England duty, with many online appalled by the lack of adult supervision around these developing football stars.
The country’s football association has officially responded to the incident, claiming that the matter has been resolved.
Reason for England U16 Fight Revealed
Youth players involved in the development squads for their international teams are regularly taken away from their clubs to train and play against other countries’ youth teams. For England, this involves players from across the country travelling to St. George’s Park, in Staffordshire, for a training camp.
This entails a group of teenagers spending time away from their families in an enclosed environment, and thus, it’s not surprising that untoward events can materialise at these training camps.
In a video that has only recently surfaced online, two England under-16 players, wearing their training kits, appear to be involved in an altercation that escalated into a physical fight. Punches were thrown, while on-watching teammates encouraged the two youngsters engaged in the battle to hurt each other.
The Daily Mail have revealed that the scrap began after one of the two players was teased for owning a Nokia mobile phone.
While this sort of bullying and ensuing physical altercation is typical behaviour for teenagers, many have lamented the staff leading the England camp for not having someone present to step in and prevent this incident from unfolding.
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FA Cup Final – Manchester City v Manchester United – Wembley Stadium, London, Britain – June 3, 2023 General view of the Wembley arch before the match REUTERS/Carl Recine
The Daily Mail reached out to the FA to comment on this incident, and the organisation revealed that the matter was resolved internally, and quickly. They said:
“We were made aware of an internal matter during an MU16s camp in October 2025. This was quickly resolved at the time.”
With teammates filming the incident, many have suggested that mobile phones should be banned from such camps to prevent this antagonistic behaviour from happening.
Had the England under-16 players not had access to devices that could capture the incident so that they could share it with friends, they might’ve been more inclined to step in and stop the fight from developing.
Crystal Palace have reached an agreement on personal terms to sign a French star in the summer transfer window.
Palace are entering a new era after Oliver Glasner confirmed that he would be leaving, heading into the 26-27 season.
Glasner has now been replaced by Pierre Sage, who was brought in ahead of pre-season and is now working on bringing in new additions with his recruitment team.
So far, the Eagles have only completed the signing of Oscar Mingueza, who arrived on a free transfer following his departure from Celta Vigo.
Palace will undoubtedly be looking to bring in further reinforcements over the coming weeks and months, especially if some of their key stars head for the exit door.
Crystal Palace reach transfer agreement
Manon Cruz via Action Images/Reuters
According to a report from Foot Mercato, Crystal Palace have reached an agreement to sign Augsburg defender Chrislain Matsima in the summer window.
Matsima, who has been described as ‘exceptional’, has verbally agreed to join the Premier League club, who are progressing in talks to sign him.
The two clubs are in negotiations, with discussions described as intensifying, and things are now moving in the right direction.
A former UFC champion has had to take up a regular job to help her make ends meet, once again bringing into question the level of pay fighters get in Dana White‘s company.
The former UFC titleholder has had to begin working in another job as a delivery driver due to not being able to fight for almost a year thanks to a shoulder injury, with her last fight coming back in August 2015 at UFC 319.
The admission of the former champion has brought the pay for fighters into question yet again, which has been a constant debate in recent years, with the likes of Jake Paul and Eddie Hearn both heavily speaking out about how little UFC fighters are paid considering the risks they take.
This isn’t just a middle-of-the-range fighter either. This is a former champion who has 30 fights under her belt under the UFC banner, and someone who has shared the cage with the likes of Joanna Jędrzejczyk, Rose Namajunas, Zhang Weili, Valentina Shevchenko, and Mackenzie Dern.
In an interview with Ag Fight, the fighter said: “Thank God I managed to save some money, so things are going well. But whenever I need to, I work as a delivery driver. I deliver meals and things like that. I just pick up orders through an app and make the deliveries. I do whatever it takes. I’m not afraid of hard work. I can do just about anything.”
UFC Fighter Who Works As Delivery Driver
Kamil Krzaczynski via Imagn Images
The fighter who is working as a delivery driver is Jessica Andrade. She is 34 and has fought an impressive 30 times in the UFC. The Brazilian won the 115-pound title and was also challenging for the flyweight belt. However, she has had to spend a prolonged period away from fighting since injuring her shoulder last August in her defeat against Loopy Godinez.
Andrade has the record for the most wins in UFC history by a woman. She currently has 17 wins, one more than the 16 of next best Amanda Nunes.
She also said she has recently taken up another project, helping with her friend’s home renovation.
“Recently I started a project at [a friend’s] house, installing artificial turf. Her backyard was nothing but rocks. I thought, ‘I’ll give this a try. If I’m good at it, it’s one more way we can make some extra money whenever we need it.'”
Mark J. Rebilas via Imagn Images
Andrade has openly spoken about her financial struggles during her fighting career in the past. In 2018, she said she had been selling her UFC clothes, backpack, and gloves because she was struggling to get sponsors. She did, however, say she was ‘paid really well’ in the promotion.
In 2023, she said she had to have five fights in order to pay for her divorce. In the following year, she accused her former coach, Gilliard Parana, of withholding money from her. Parana, however, denied all the allegations.
The pay for UFC fighters has been a hotly debated subject with both the media and fans in recent times. It is believed that UFC fighters get around 20% of the fight revenue in their pay, whereas, boxers get around 60% of revenue from their events.
