Summary Manchester United have been scouting a tenacious midfielder for a long time as an alternative to Sofyan Amrabat. Amadou Onana, Everton's highly rated player, is on their list of potential alternatives. Onana had a brilliant season for Everton and would be an excellent addition to Manchester United's squad.
Manchester United have been scouting a "tenacious" midfielder for "a long time" and could turn their attention to him should a deal for Sofyan Amrabat not materialise, per transfers expert Fabrizio Romano.
Manchester United news – what is the latest?
It's been a brilliant transfer window for United fans so far this summer, and while it may have started a little slow, with some fans worrying that the spending of other sides would blow them away, they have ended up with a significantly improved squad with half of August left to try and add even more quality where they can.
One of the names that has been most heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford this summer is Fiorentina midfielder and World Cup star, Amrabat. The 26-year-old had a brilliant 12 months for club and country and has been touted with a switch to the Theatre of Dreams for weeks.
However, whilst the three-time European champions remain the favourites to land their man – and his preferred destination – a deal has had to wait due to other deals taking priority and the need to offload players before outlaying even more on any incomings.
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With that in mind, should a deal for the Moroccan not materialise for whatever reason, the Red Devils have a list with several potential alternatives, including Everton's highly rated Amadou Onana, per transfers expert Fabrizio Romano.
He explained the situation live on The United Stand's YouTube channel, saying:
"Onana from Everton is another player that United have always appreciated, and they have been scouting him for a long time, so I think they have multiple names into the list."
How good is Amadou Onana?
It should come as no surprise that with the interest the Belgian has garnered from the likes of Arsenal, West Ham United, and now Manchester United, he is a quality operator and would be an excellent addition to the majority of football clubs.
Last year was his first in England, but you wouldn't be able to tell from his performances as he was consistently one of the few bright sparks in an otherwise dismal season for the Toffees.
In his 29 league starts last year, the 21-year-old scored one goal, provided two assists, maintained a passing accuracy of 84%, won 1.8 aerial duals and averaged an impressive match rating of 6.71, per WhoScored.
His performances are only made all the more impressive when you consider the dysfunctional team around him, and had he not been playing, there is a very good chance Everton wouldn't be a Premier League team this season.
Described as both an "aggressive & tenacious tackler" whilst also possessing "above-average technical skills" by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, the £100,000-a-week titan could be precisely the kind of "one-man army" ten Hag needs to round out his squad this season.
Even if the Red Devils can secure the services of Amrabat before the window slams shut on September 1st, it might be a good idea to try and land Onana as well, to help the team fight on multiple fronts this year.