Hidden Gem Players Manchester United Could Sign

Everyone knows we need to rebuild this Manchester United squad, yet we still have a few issues with the profit and sustainability rules (PSR) and we can’t afford to spend £60-100 million on 5 or 6 players this summer. That means we will have buy smart signings rather than just the obvious names. We need to be the team that takes a chance on that highly talented player, playing in a less established league, rather than letting them sign for a decent side, have a breakout season and then have to pay 10x the amount to sign them a year or two later.

With that in mind I’m going to suggest a few ‘hidden’ gems, or at least players I think we could get for a lower price than the most linked and expensive option.

We have been linked strongly with Jean-Clair Todibo and depending on which reports he’ll cost anything between £40-50 million, which to be fair given his talent and the current market is actually a fairly decent fee. Yet there are a couple of younger alternatives I think we could get for between £20-30 million maybe less who could in a year or twos time be at a similar level to Todibo.

The first is Eduardo Quaresma from Sporting. He’s having a breakout season and would normally be more expensive, but he has one year left on his contract which means he’s potentially a bit of a bargain. The other option is Zeno Debast, who is a 20 year old CB / RB playing for Anderlecht in the Belgium Pro league. He’s a talented ball playing CB, great on the ball, good defensive instincts, a little weak in the air perhaps, but he’s young enough to improve that. Coming from Anderlecht he might be available for between £15-25 million. He’s the kind of player who’ll move to a club in Ligue 1 or the Bundesliga, have a great season then become a £50-70 million player.

With Lisandro Martinez’s on going injury issues we have been linked heavily with Jarrad Branthwaite as a LCB, even with Everton’s financial issues it’s clear Branthwaite will cost somewhere between £50-70 million. Which is a huge fee to pay for someone who isn’t guaranteed to be first choice if Martinez is fit.

Murillo from Nottingham Forest is a player I’d have maybe suggested as an alternative had Forest gone down this summer (barring a 13 goal swing on the last day between them and Luton they will stay up). With Forest being an English Premier League (EPL) club next season, I doubt they would sell him for much less than £40-50 million which doesn’t really make him a cheaper alternative.

Left-footed…