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Manchester United are preparing to lock horns with Newcastle United at St. James’ Park on Saturday (December 2) in the Premier League. Erik ten Hag’s team are sixth in the league after 13 games, four points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa.
Meanwhile, the Red Devils are not interested in RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner. Elsewhere, the Premier League giants are in advanced talks to bring Radu Dragusin to Old Trafford.
On that note, here's a look at the key Manchester United transfer stories as on December 1, 2023:
Manchester United not eyeing Timo Werner
Manchester United are not interested in Timo Werner, according to journalist Christian Falk.
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The German forward has been linked with a move to Old Trafford recently by transfer guru Fabrizio Romano. Werner spent two seasons in the Premier League with Chelsea but failed to leave a mark. The 27-year-old left Stamford Bridge last summer to return to RB Leipzig but hasn’t enjoyed a fruitful reunion.
Erik ten Hag is in the market for attacking reinforcements and apparently has his eyes on Werner. However, in his column for Caught Offside, Falk has rubbished talks of Werner's possible move to the Red Devils.
“Neither management nor the club have heard anything about United’s reported interest in Timo Werner. Werner also had bad experiences at Chelsea FC in England.
"The player is considered very sensitive. He is currently having problems at Leipzig but first wants to regain his self-confidence,” wrote Falk.
He continued:
“He doesn’t feel ready to move to England at the moment. Newcastle were actually already interested, but that won’t happen this winter either.”
Werner has scored two goals and set up another in 13 appearances for Leipzig across competitions this season.
Red Devils in advanced talks for Radu Dragusin
Manchester United are in advanced talks with Genoa regarding a move for Radu Dragusin, according to ProSport.
The Red Devils are in the market for a new defender, amid the poor performances of the backline. Raphael Varane has shown signs of regression, while Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof remain linked with exits.
The Premier League giants have turned to Dragusin as a solution, given his impressive rise with the Italian club. Already compared with the legendary Nemanja Vidic due to a similar style of play, the 21-year-old has appeared 15 times across competitions this season.
Manchester United are close to completing a deal for the Romanian, and a move is expected to materialise in the winter.
Erik ten Hag slammed for Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlund decision
Former Liverpool striker Stan Collymore has criticised Ten Hag for signing Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlund this summer.
The Cameroonian stop stopper arrived from Inter Milan for a reported fee of £47 million. Meanwhile, Manchester United also spent heavily (£70 million) on Hojlund, who joined from Atalanta.
Both players have struggled at Old Trafford. Onana has struggled to keep out goals, letting in 33 already from 20 outings across competitions. The Danish striker, on the other hand, has fared poorly in the final third, scoring five times in 16 outings. All his goals have come in the UEFA Champions League.
In his column for Caught Offside, Collymore questioned the decision to bring in players who are not ready to play at the highest level.
“When you are a Manchester United manager and you run a football club that brings in Andre Onana, who is arguably worse than the outgoing goalkeeper, then that has to be on the manager.
"Rasmus Hojlund at £70m is another. United were basically under pressure because Liverpool had got Gakpo, Man City had Haaland, Aston Villa had tied down Ollie Watkins … so all of a sudden Man United are like ‘we need a striker,'” wrote Collymore.
He continued:
“Their recruitment has been absolutely dreadful, and ultimately the manager has given the thumbs up to some of the players coming in when some of them are blatantly not ready to play for Manchester United week in and week out.”
Collymore reckons Ten Hag can only redeem himself by getting his next five signings right.
“The only way Ten Hag turns the corner is if he hangs his reputation on the next four or five signings doing the business for the club.
"If he does that and they become a success, then he gets the kind of power and gravitas at the football club that fans would expect him to have, and everybody goes ‘he’s got this,’” wrote Collymore.
The Dutch manager is expected to push for a new defender in 2024.
