Manchester United midfield target Shea Charles stepped up and fired Southampton closer to Premier League promotion.
This summer, Manchester United will rebuild their midfield and as many as three signings are expected to arrive at Old Trafford.
While Ineos are looking at Premier League-proven stars like Elliot Anderson, Carlos Baleba and Mateus Fernandes, they are also searching for bargain opportunities like Shea Charles.
Charles is expected to cost around £20m this summer, and the 22-year-old Southampton star continues to be linked with an Old Trafford move.
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Shea Charles scores winner in Southampton play-off match
On Tuesday evening, Southampton beat Middlesbrough 2-1 after extra time, with Charles scoring the winner from range after cutting in on his left foot.
Charles played the full 120 minutes at St Mary’s Stadium and, as per SofaScore, he was the second-highest-rated player on the pitch with an 8.5/10.
| Shea Charles | Match stats vs Middlesbrough |
| Minutes played | 120 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Touches | 73 |
| Passes completed | 86% (43/50) |
| Defensive contributions | 9 |
| Duels won | 88% (7/8) |
Impressively, Charles completed twice as many passes in the opposition half (29) than he did in his own half (14).
Defensively, he was dominant, winning all but one of his duels. He also made four clearances and recovered the ball four times.
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Michael Carrick denied Middlesbrough reunion
Southampton’s victory in the play-off semi-finals means that Michael Carrick’s former side Middlesbrough are out of the picture for Premier League promotion.
Carrick is set to be appointed permanently at United, meaning he would have gone up against Middlesbrough next season if they won the play-offs.
READ MORE: Michael Carrick faces uphill battle as permanent Man Utd manager, he still has to prove fans wrong
Unfortunately for Middlesbrough, they were without United target Hayden Hackney for their trip to Southampton.
Instead, United fans got a great glimpse at Charles in action ahead of the summer transfer window.
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