Manchester United’s transfer dealings have been slow-going since the arrival of midfielders Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos earlier this month. The focus is heavily on midfield, but there is also an acknowledgement of the need to add depth elsewhere.
Left-back is one position climbing up the priorities list. Luke Shaw played a full season for the Reds last year, and though he remained the first-choice left-back through good performances, he isn’t quite the forward-charging wing-back threat he once
was. He is still a very good player, but there was no clear, reliable option behind him once again.
The Reds are linked with Lewis Hall, but it would be a costly venture to pry him from Newcastle United as the Tyneside outfit look to hold onto their best players. Another option is an internal one, with academy graduate Harry Amass training with the first team in preseason.
Amass had a successful stint at Sheffield Wednesday on loan last season before switching to Norwich City in January. His season ended after an injury at Carrow Road, but he is again with United for the preseason European tour. He scored a goal against Rosenborg last week and is expected to remain with the squad this week.
Amas was reported to have outside interest, though. The Athletic’s Manchester United reporter Laurie Whitwell reported that Amass has had approaches from several Championship clubs, with United potentially open to a permanent sale in the region of £6 million.
United has struggled to move players out of favor this transfer window. Manuel Ugarte’s injury at the FIFA World Cup prevented his expected departure, and forward Joshua Zirkzee has not attracted permanent suitors as hoped. The club may need to generate some funds, and selling academy players is a big boost to the net profit in the modern transfer window of Financial Fair Play regulations.
Amass is, however, a potential option to reinforce the squad this season. He is one of the few academy players with first-team experience in English football, and at 19 years old, he is at the point in his career where finding somewhere to grow his game is necessary for development. He wouldn’t be a threat to succeed Shaw immediately, but there would be plenty of opportunity to rotate in with the return of European football and the cup campaigns.
Amass may not have the same level of hype as his Carrington predecessor, Alvaro Carreras, but that saga proved to be a warning of the caliber of player who may be leaving on a low fee. He is, as of now, unproven at a Premier League level, but there’s only one way to find out if he’s cut out for it. Keeping him around may be worth more than £6m at the moment.
