Denzel Dumfries wowed Rio Ferdinand with his performances at the World Cup and comments made by the latter have given Manchester United an obvious solution to one January transfer priority.
After making five permanent signings this summer, Erik ten Hag will have a shorter to-do list this winter, as he aims to continue the Old Trafford rebuild. Naturally, the Dutchman needs to replace Cristiano Ronaldo and such plans are already in motion with the United manager confirming that he is in the market for a new forward.
Several names are doing the rounds there, but in his attempts to provide competition for Diogo Dalot, there might only be one answer; Dumfries. He has been linked with United before, but this time there is clamour to get the deal done from all sides with Inter Milan, seemingly, open to selling.
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Chelsea and Bayern Munich are reported to be in the race, too, while Ten Hag understands exactly what he would get from the Netherlands international. With the market set to re-open, Dumfries provided a timely reminder of his attributes in Qatar and Ferdinand did not hold back in praising the 26-year-old.
Dalot has almost exclusively been used at right-back for United this season with Aaron Wan-Bissaka cast aside and only playing four minutes in all competitions. Victor Lindelof has been deployed as a stand-in at times, but Dumfries would mark a notable improvement for United in that position.
Ferdinand waxed lyrical about Dumfries at the World Cup while appearing on the BBC Sport panel. He said: "He's a player you look at and think he's athletic and he can beat people one-on-one.
"It's not just about being there. It's the quality that goes in.
"He's not putting those crosses in willy-nilly, he's picking people out, those cut-backs have been ever so dangerous. He doesn't mind working at the other end of the pitch, he's been a breath of fresh air for them and a very important player [for the Netherlands]."
While his World Cup charge ended in heartbreak against Argentina as well as being shown a red card after the final whistle, Dumfries was able to reaffirm his status on the European stage throughout the tournament. Ultimately, that could be at the perfect time to convince United he is their ideal mid-season recruit.
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