After taking nearly three months to find an alternative to top transfer target Frenkie de Jong, Manchester United already have a contingency plan if they fail to sign Adrien Rabiot.
The Red Devils are said to have opened talks with Real Betis regarding midfielder Guido Rodriguez, who's quickly emerged as backup option for Erik ten Hag. Spanish outlet AS claim that the 28-year-old Argentine, who has two seasons left on his contract, would cost a similar amount to the £15m fee which has been agreed in principle with Juventus for Rabiot. A bid of around €20m (£16.8m) would reportedly be sufficient to tempt Betis into a sale.
Rodriguez is still behind the Frenchman, 27, on Ten Hag's shopping list, but it appears that United are hedging their bets if their deal to snap up Rabiot - who himself is an alternative to De Jong - falls through. Rodriguez has impressed during his two seasons with Betis and most notably helped Argentina win the Copa America last summer.
Nevertheless, there's plenty of confidence at Old Trafford that a deal can be wrapped up for Rabiot, as Juventus are keen to shift him off their wage books, having seen him enter the final 12 months of his lucrative deal. The 29-capped France international has struggled for consistency across three campaigns in Turin, having spent his formative years with Paris Saint-Germain.
Failing to find consistent good form under three managers in Maurizio Sarri, Andrea Pirlo and Massimiliano Allegri, a change of scenery looks to be the best option for all parties. However, the Red Devils must now negotiate with Rabiot's agent and mother, Veronique, renowned for being a fierce negotiator and prone to bust-ups.
With United's chances of signing De Jong from Barcelona only dwindling, it's evident that football director John Murtough needs to be working with haste to recruit midfield reinforcements. After Sunday's dreadful 2-1 defeat to Brighton, which got Ten Hag's reign off to a nightmare start, Red Devils legend Roy Keane slammed midfielders Fred and Scott McTominay for their hapless displays.
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"The decision-making and the football intelligence, in particular from Fred - and I've said this for a long time - Fred and McTominay are not good enough," Keane declared on Sky Sports. "They won't get Manchester United back competing at the top.
"We see it week in, week out. [They are] not up to it. They had to a gamble in the second half and [Christian] Eriksen is probably in his best position when he drops back and he's picking up people, but [that decision comes] too little too late."
Fellow United icon Paul Scholes echoed his former teammate's comments, adding on Premier League Productions : "The quality in the middle of the pitch was nowhere near good enough but we've seen that for the last few years with these two players. With Fred and McTominay, he [Ten Hag] is going to have to play just one of them but even one of them is probably too many.
"Fred gives the ball away all the time and McTominay's trying to run with the ball constantly and then gives it away. Pass it to your best players! It's not that difficult. It's criminal on a day like today."
