MANCHESTER UNITED GET THE BALL ROLLING IN THE SUMMER TRANSFER WINDOW

Manchester United's reported interest in Newcastle’s youngster is starting to grow into a case to newsworthy to ignore. Manchester United’s link to the 21-year-old English Midfielder started early in the month of June after current Manchester United manager Ole Gunner Solskjaer had confirmed the emerging changes set to happen at Manchester United during the 2019 summer transfer window. While Manchester United continue to be linked with major players coming in and players moving out the door of Old Trafford this 2019 summer, making two good signings so early into the summer window is a sure sign of stating the intent and determination Manchester United has towards improving their team before the start of next season.   

On to the topic of the day, Sean Longstaff. Who is the Newcastle man and how far has Manchester United gone in pursuit of the player? According to research, the young Englishman born and raised in Tyne, England captured the hearts of Newcastle fans and gain major admirers from a number of different club owners during his loan from Newcastle to second division side Blackpool. While on loan at Blackpool, Longstaff was able to enjoy valuable minutes on the pitch making 42 appearances but scoring a total of 8 goals for Blackpool. Not the most standout performances admittedly. However, statistics are not generally central to Manchester United's interests in young Sean Longstaff. 





It was not about goals and assists but more about other talents the midfielder displayed on the pitch. Longstaff sees the field well and knows how to open the field up with a pace which eventually creates potential goal scoring opportunity for his teammates Longstaff will be a player that can control the midfield for Manchester United next season and the young English midfielder has the potential to develop into a player Manchester United can depend on moving on into the future. At the moment, Manchester United are still struggling with securing the services of the Newcastle midfielder especially with the recent injury Longstaff suffered during at the tail end of last season. Should Manchester United push on and secure the signing of Sean Longstaff this summer the Red Devils might have urged the medical staff at Carrington to invest a large portion of their services into attempting to get the English man ready to go next season.  

Reports from England continue to suggest that Manchester United are consistently inching closer and closer to a finalized deal worth 25 million with Newcastle United for Sean Longstaff. However, with the deal ultimately taking longer than expected, the understanding between both teams is that both camps are uncertain about finalizing an agreement for the deal. Newcastle is aware of how important a player such as Longstaff can play for Newcastle next season, while Manchester United's uncertainty might lie on the fact that Manchester United had limited opportunity to asses Sean Longstaffs injury last season. 






However, with Sean Longstaffs return to Newcastle's first team at the end of last season, Manchester United appear to have seen enough from the English midfielder to convince the Red Devils that Longstaff has what it takes to be a Manchester United player. Should Manchester United push on and complete the deal for Sean Longstaff, Manchester United will have accomplished another desire the club has had of having a midfield capable of challenging clubs such as Liverpool, Manchester City, and Barcelona next season. However, the strength of Manchester United's performance next season will still rely on the decision of Paul Pogba staying or leaving Manchester United by the end of the 2019 summer transfer window. 

Manchester United continue to stay active in the 2019 summer transfer window. With the Red Devils steps away from completing the move for Sean Longstaff, United are once again mounting a major for another European player in the shape of Aaron Wan Bissaka of Crystal Palace. The Crystal Palace defender had been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United during the early period of the 2019 summer transfer with Manchester United apparently confident of closing out the deal for Aaron Wan Bissaka as early as May 2019. With Crystal Palace looking to possibly build their team up by adding fresh, young, players from the English Championship into their team during the course of the 2019 summer transfer window, closing out a deal worth 50 million will be a massive capital Crystal Palace can subsequently reinvest in strengthening their Eagles team prior to next season. Aaron Wan Bissaka will be a welcomed addition to Manchester United and the 21-year-old English right back will make an excellent replacement for the Ex-Manchester United captain Antonio Valencia whom recently exited the club at the end of last after a decade of service. Despite Manchester United's conviction on completing the signing of Aaron Wan Bissaka before the end of the 2019 summer transfer window, Crystal Palace has come out and made a stance stating that Aaron Wan Bissaka is not for sale this summer. In what is suspected to be a rue by the Eagles to hike the price up to a maximum, Manchester United will have to wait a little longer for the decision on Aaron Wan Bissaka to be made. 

With all the uncertainty surrounding Manchester United's 2019 summer transfer window, the question rumbling around the theatre of dreams appears to be what exactly is Manchester United planning in terms of challenging for trophies next season? Having players such as Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial and Juan Mata can present a case for Manchester United being a creative team. However, to win top competitions in Europe, teams such as Manchester City, Barcelona and Liverpool have shown it’s going to take more than three, consistent, creative players to succeed in Europe. Manchester United need more support and signing Daniel James is the first step but more players are needed this summer.