Former rival thwarts Man Utd as ideal Rangnick target agrees to new plan
The chances of Manchester United signing defensive target Sergio Gomez have quickly faded, according to reports in Belgium.
Reports at the start of this month said Man United were watching Gomez. According to The Sun, they scouted him while he was playing for Anderlecht. Everton and Southampton were also said to be in attendance to see him score a brace.
The marauding full-back has been suggested as a perfect fit for the style of play Ralf Rangnick is trying to implement after taking charge of United as interim manager.
So far this season, he has five goals and seven assists from 17 appearances in the Belgian top flight. His tallies are better than the full-backs currently at United’s disposal.
However, any chance of him arriving to compete with the likes of Luke Shaw and Alex Telles have been dismissed – at least for now.
According to La Derniere Heure (via Sport Witness), Anderlecht – led by former Man City captain Vincent Kompany – have formulated a plan to keep Gomez. They want him to stick around until 2023, by which point there will be two years left on his contract.
Still only 21, there is plenty of time for the Spaniard to make the leap to a bigger club. But several have been keeping an eye on him in the present anyway.
The report names Man Utd as one of the bigger clubs who have been looking at him. In addition, Inter Milan and Ajax have been keeping tabs on the Spain under-21 international.
He has also attracted a whole host of suitors in France, including Marseille, Lille, Rennes and Monaco.
None of these admirers have made contact with Anderlecht, though. Therefore, they have no fears of losing Gomez in January.
The defender is happy to co-operate with Anderlecht’s plan of keeping him until 2023. The only way the situation could change is if someone put an offer worth “several tens of millions” on the table.
Right now, United are well-stocked enough at left-back not to need to make such an investment. However, if Gomez keeps progressing well, it seems reasonable for them to keep monitoring him.
Rangnick rates Man Utd full-backs
Gomez mainly plays on the left-hand side of defence but can adapt to the opposite flank too. Therefore, he could provide competition for not just Shaw and Telles, but also Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Diogo Dalot.
Some have raised doubts about the suitability of Shaw and Wan-Bissaka to Rangnick’s tactics. However, the German seemed pleased with both on their last outing.
After a midweek draw with Young Boys in the Champions League, Rangnick said he was pleased to have Shaw in contention.
“It was great to see Luke Shaw back,” he said.
“Hopefully he can be a candidate for the Norwich game in the squad.”
Wan-Bissaka, on the other hand, became a doubt due to some knocks sustained in the game.
“He got two knocks, one on the wrist and knee,” Rangnick confirmed at the time.
“We have to see how this develops by Saturday.”
Rangnick has since provided an update, confirming that Wan-Bissaka was still one of the “question marks” in terms of who is available to play at the weekend.
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