There’s just over a week until Ralf Rangnick can start to bring in some new blood for Manchester United’s first-team.
In his first few games as manager of the Old Trafford outfit, there has been a noticeable sharpening of certain passages of play, which should be expected to continue as the current players get to grips with the German’s methods.
The squad hasn’t been rotated as much as some of the fringe players might have hoped, given that they hadn’t been given a chance under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and may have thought that the slate would be wiped clean once the new man in charge was in situ.
To that end, there’s a chance that a few players could leave either on loan or permanently, but surely they’ll only be allowed to do so if Rangnick has replacements in mind.
One player that’s been heavily linked with the Red Devils, per Mundo Deportivo and cited by The Mirror, is Barcelona wide man, Ousmane Dembele.
The French World Cup winner can play with both feet, is incredibly quick from a standing start and is free to negotiate with any clubs from January 1, 2022.
However, it looks like Rangnick and United will be disappointed.
That’s because according to Catalan daily, Sport, Dembele has gone against his agent’s wishes and will sign a new five-year deal with Barcelona in the next week and ahead of the transfer window opening for business.
It represents another triumph for new manager, Xavi, who is known to be a big admirer of the winger.