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Manchester United are keeping tabs on PSG star Nuno Mendes as Ruben Amorim eyes a reunion.
The new manager at Old Trafford is set to pursue players who will suit the 3-4-3 system he wants to implement in Manchester. Wing-backs will be key to its success and down the left there are concerns around Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw, largely to do with their fitness.
As a result Mendes is a player on their radar with Amorim knowing him well from their time together at Sporting Lisbon. His impressive showings saw the French champions spend more than £30million to land his services and he’s been a big hit in Paris since.
Persuading the Ligue 1 champions to sell could be a tough ask but the Manchester outfit are tracking his situation. United have also discussed Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies, a target for Real Madrid, as an option, reports the Daily Mail.
United know that there are a lack of funds available following a hefty summer spree under Erik ten Hag. It means they will have to be smart in the market and it may prohibit their ability to go after a marquee name.
Ahead of Amorim’s first match in charge on Sunday Shaw has been training as the left wing-back, but he is not deemed fit enough to play at Portman Road. This has been the first week that the Portuguese boss has been able to work with his new players.
Amorim is looking to quickly install his system and The Sun understands that he already knows certain players won’t be able to feature in it. The coaching staff and analysts are drilling players and getting them to watch demonstrations of Amorim’s set-up to get them up to speed.
The new man at the helm has vowed to make it clear, even in his first game, that the team will have a clear identity and way of playing. He said: “We know that we need time, but we have to win time. To win time is to win games. But the most important thing for me is identity.
“So since day one we will start with our identity. Of course we are going to prepare the games, but we will focus a lot in our game model. How to play, how to press, these small things, small details. You cannot go 100% on every detail because it will be confusing for the players. So if I have to say one thing, my main goal, my first goal, is identity.”
