Man Utd interest in ‘Messinho’ will ‘make fans more excited’

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·7 December 2023

Man Utd interest in ‘Messinho’ will ‘make fans more excited’

Manchester United’s interest in Estevao Willian, known as Messinho, could “make fans a bit more excited”, as transfer insider Dean Jones considers the signing strategy at Old Trafford.

The Red Devils, currently managed by Erik ten Hag, have been prone to wasting money on high-profile signings recently and hope that the imminent arrival of minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe can transform the club’s fortunes.

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Estevao has become one of the most highly sought prospects in world football, and the appeal of signing for Man Utd could convince the winger to switch to the Premier League from Palmeiras. United have endured a difficult start to the Premier League and Champions League season but hope to be still an attractive prospect for the world’s best young talent.

Man Utd’s poor transfer record

Manchester United could be accused of wasting much money in the transfer market, with plenty of high-profile signings arriving and ultimately failing at Old Trafford. In August 2016, the Red Devils broke the then-world transfer record by signing Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba.

The France international had left Manchester to sign for the Serie A giants on a free transfer four years prior but established himself as one of the continent’s leading players in the middle of the park. However, Pogba’s second tenure with the twenty-time English champions didn’t prove much better, and he eventually returned to Juventus on a free transfer once again in the summer of 2022.

In the summer of 2021, Manchester United confirmed the signing of former Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho in a deal worth £73m. However, in November, Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth told GIVEMESPORT that the 23-year-old could leave Old Trafford during the 2024 winter transfer market after a falling out with ten Hag. Sancho had hit back at comments made by ten Hag in a now-deleted X post after the Dutch manager had claimed the London-born star’s training level hadn’t been good enough to earn himself a spot in the matchday squad for United’s 3-1 defeat at Arsenal in September.

In 2022, Man Utd signed Antony from ten Hag’s former club in a deal worth £86m. The Brazilian winger has struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League, having registered just six goal contributions in 35 top-flight appearances before the Red Devils’ clash with Chelsea on 6th December. Therefore, Man Utd must hope Ratcliffe can change the direction of their transfer business in recent years.

Dean Jones on Estevao

Jones claims that Man Utd will focus on two levels of signings in the coming windows by acquiring the signatures of the world’s most promising stars and players ready to help the club challenge for trophies. The transfer insider told GIVEMESPORT:

“It's certainly something that will make fans a bit more excited about the future. What can you expect from such a young teenager? It's difficult to know. But clearly, there will be two levels of signings at United over the coming windows. One will be to fulfil the long-term vision and ensure they've implemented a plan similar to what Chelsea might have put in place, for example, to ensure they've got the next generation coming through. But also, the more important thing right now is to ensure their team can compete for trophies over the next year or two.”

Estevao Willian transfer news

According to TEAMtalk, Manchester United are joined by Chelsea, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid in the race to sign Estevao. Barcelona are also interested in the winger and have contacted his agent, Angel Curry, over a potential move, with the Catalan giants expected to be his preferred destination.

Meanwhile, Man Utd sent scouts to watch Estevao at the recent U17 World Cup and were left highly impressed by the Brazilian. The teenager has a £47m release clause in his contract with Palmeiras, but it’s unlikely that European clubs will meet the full price to prise him away from South America. The same report also claims that Ratcliffe is keen to replicate Todd Boehly’s model at Chelsea of signing some of the world’s top talent.

Man Utd’s upcoming fixtures

Man Utd will host in-form AFC Bournemouth on the 9th, hoping to earn three points that could drag them closer to the Premier League’s top four. Ten Hag’s side play their final Champions League group stage fixture of the 2023/24 campaign when Bayern Munich arrive in Manchester on 12th December.

United must beat the reigning Bundesliga champions and hope that Copenhagen and Galatasaray play out a draw to ensure their progression to the knockout stages of Europe’s premier club competition. A third-placed finish would mean the Red Devils drop into the Europa League knockout play-off round in the new year, whilst finishing bottom of the group will result in an early exit from European competition entirely.