Manchester United’s transfer window will begin to gather momentum now that the pre-season is inching closer, and the latest player they’ve made contact with has been termed ‘terrific’.
After signing Matheus Cunha almost as soon as the window officially opened, Man Utd have had to take careful steps in the market.
Bryan Mbeumo’s negotiations have made it clear just how hard it will be to buy players, especially from Premier League teams.
However, Mbeumo still looks like a matter of when, and not if, which prompted United to make contact with their next target, someone who’s been deemed a ‘terrific player’ already.
Man Utd in contact with ‘terrific player’ with ‘top mentality’
After securing two prolific attacking midfielders, there is still a glaring hole to be filled in the Man Utd squad, which Man Utd fans know.
Liam Delap’s rejection set things in motion for United’s striker search, which has snowballed into them scouring the world for another option.
After striking out on Viktor Gyokeres, as it stands, and Hugo Ekitike’s asking price scaring them off, a new name emerged recently.
United contacted Ollie Watkins recently to explore the terms of a potential deal for the Aston Villa striker.
Watkins is as proven as it gets for a Premier League goal-getter, and Roy Keane is also a fan, but the list of fans doesn’t stop there.
Just a peek behind the curtains and United get the picture of a terrific player with a ‘top mentality’.
Emery’s arrival has supercharged Watkins, and Phil Jones said last September after Matchday 2 that Watkins is a ‘terrific player’.
Jones said (via BBC), “He is a terrific player… He is a real handful and he is quite comfortable playing on the shoulder of the defender. Danny Murphy agreed, “He just looks like a player that is completely comfortable in his own skin… Every aspect of his game has improved under Unai Emery.”
Jacob Ramsey has previously praised his mentality, even when Emery hadn’t taken over, saying, “Ollie has a good mentality… Missing a chance does not faze him. … His mentality is top.” [via Express]
The ultimate seal of approval came from Emery himself, as the famously hard taskmaster called Watkins a “very hard worker” back in April 2024.
He said: “The commitment to the work we need him to do is always fantastic – more than scoring goals or assists… He’s showing that he is very demanding in how he can increase the level… He deserves this because he’s a very hard worker every day.”
Ollie Watkins would be a dream signing for the right price
Watkins is the first name out of all those linked with United who has no question marks over him at least from a sporting sense.
Delap was young and unproven, so was Ekitike, while Victor Osimhen and Viktor Gyokeres didn’t have Premier League pedigree.
Watkins is as proven in the league as it comes, and the only question mark over him is from a financial sense, because he’s 29, turning 30 in December.
That’s not a player who will have any resale value, but at the same time, his game has never been about brute pace either.
He can easily dominate in the Premier League for at least one more contract, especially if he has goalscoring players like Cunha, Mbeumo, and Fernandes around him.
United have made the right first step by exploring the terms of a potential deal. This one is one to watch late in the window.
His quality is not in doubt.
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