Erik ten Hag pushing to get Santiago Arias with Manchester United ready to make an offer
Manchester United are looking to bring Santiago Arias to the club with Erik ten Hag at the forefront, according to El Deportivo (h/t Manchester Evening News). The 30-year-old is currently a free agent and as such can be approached by any club.
The Red Devils are ‘ready to make an offer’ for the Colombian right-back, who could add competition to the backline. Ten Hag is the one ‘spearheading the process’ to bring the former Atletico Madrid defender to Old Trafford.
Arias joined Los Colchoneros in the summer of 2018 after having spent the majority of his career at PSV Eindhoven. In the 2020/21 campaign, the 30-year-old was loaned out to Bayer Leverkusen. However, the Colombian’s season was cut short pretty early after suffering an injury.
After coming back to Madrid, Arias spent the previous campaign playing for Granada. He played mostly as a backup and suffered another setback in the middle of the season, keeping him on the sidelines for a considerable time.
United currently have two well-established right-backs in the squad. Ten Hag has preferred Diogo Dalot though, just like interim boss Ralf Rangnick.
The Portuguese mainly played second-fiddle under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The Norwegian preferred Aaron Wan-Bissaka. However, the former Crystal Palace star has failed to convince fans of his qualities since signing in 2019.
Dalot has started the season with decent displays. The Portugal international has impressed as United have now gone four games unbeaten in the league.
Wan-Bissaka has not been trusted by the gaffer. The 24-year-old has found game time hard to come by, with Dalot seemingly the firm favourite.
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With Wan-Bissaka’s future looking uncertain in Manchester, it would be wise to go for an experienced backup option. The season is going to be long, with the football calendar congested due to the Qatar World Cup. United will evidently need to add strength in depth to cope with injuries and fatigue.
