£35m ace may have ruined chances of Manchester United move in 6-0 defeat

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If Kevin Danso had hoped to force his way into Manchester United thinking, as the Premier League giants scour the market for a new centre-half, then Lens’ European hammering at the hands of Arsenal only served to ink a thick black mark against his name. 

The one-time Southampton loanee was not the only Lens player to suffer an off-night at the Emirates. You don’t lose 6-0 without enduring a collective calamity of epic proportions, after all. But Kevin Danso certainly didn’t cover himself in glory, Arsenal running riot in the sort of Champions League shellacking that Manchester United used to produce in happier times. 

According to 90Min, the Red Devils sent scouts to watch Danso in action back in May. The Austria international may now be praying that those same talentspotters opted against making the trip to North London on Wednesday night, Danso part of a backline breached five times in the first-half alone as Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and co resembled a pair of sharpened katanas slicing through a block of room temperature margerine. 

Manchester United scouted Kevin Danso

“Arsenal were just the better team. I don’t think we turned up as much as we could’ve,” Danso tells TNT Sport, putting forward a late contender for the ‘understatement of the year’ award. 

“They’re one of the best teams in the world at the moment and we saw that today. Three quick goals in succession, and that kind of breaks the camel’s back.”

With a talented young centre-half one of Manchester United’s leading targets heading into 2024, Danso really could have done without a display like this if he wanted to force his way into the Red Devils reckoning alongside Jarrad Branthwaite, Marc Guehi, Giorgio Scalvini, Goncalo Inacio, Antonio Silva and more. 

Lens lose 6-0 at Arsenal

Rio Ferdinand recommended former MK Dons starlet Danso, valued at around £35 million by Lens, to Man United back in October, in conversation with the Manchester Evening News. 

But unlike former team-mate Lois Openda – the striker United scouted going from strength-to-strength at RB Leipzig – Danso’s Champions League displays are doing little to suggest he can thrive on Europe’s biggest stage.