It is no secret that Manchester United have been looking to sign a right back for quite a while. Even under Louis van Gaal, the club did not have the best options in this position and the signing of Matteo Darmian in 2015 has not provided any improvement to the squad. The Italian defender came to United in a £15 million deal and he is likely to be sold for much less in January. Darmian rarely featured in the second half of last season under Van Gaal, and the situation has only worsened under José Mourinho.

The Portuguese tried to bring in a couple of names during the summer, but United were unable to push for a deal completion due to various reasons. United are still left searching for a Gary Neville replacement several years after the retirement of the former England international. For the last couple of years, the club have been linked with Monaco full-back Fabinho. The 22-year-old reportedly came close to joining United on transfer deadline day. Negotiations with the player must have been fairly smooth since his agent Jorge Mendes also looks after Mourinho and several Manchester United stars.

Mourinho and Fabinho are no strangers as it was the Portuguese who gave the Brazilian his debut at Real Madrid in 2013. Keen to continue this relationship and improve United at the same time, Mourinho reportedly wanted to make Fabinho as one of the first signings. It was not to be and Monaco kept the 22-year-old. It has proven to be a great decision on the part of the French club, who have made a strong start to the French Ligue One.

One of the greatest advantages of the Brazilian would be his versatility. He is capable of playing as a right back or as a defensive midfielder. Monaco have chosen to go with the latter and Fabinho has displayed a new element to this game – scoring goals. The Brazilian has managed to score four goals in just eight league appearances and there are strikers who would be proud of this record.

Monaco reportedly placed a valuation of €40 million on the player and this turned out to be one of the stumbling blocks in the deal. If United had any intentions of signing the player in January, it may be over once and for all. Fabinho has signed a new contract with Monaco after lengthy discussions with the French club. The defender signed an extension to his existing deal and it now would see him at Monaco until the summer of 2021. It puts the club in a very healthy position when it comes to negotiating any transfer fees for the player. According to the Mirror, he said:

“I could have already done it, but I’m under contract here.

“I feel good here. I’m an important player in one of the best teams in the league.”