Manchester United have reportedly decided to call off their pursuit of Tottenham Hotspur full-back Danny Rose.
Manchester United have decided to end their interest in Tottenham Hotspur and England left-back Danny Rose, as per reports from the Mirror.
Manchester United have been heavily linked with a £50 million move for the Spurs star for a long time now. Rose was widely expected to leave the North London outfit last summer, following his extraordinary outburst over the club’s transfer policy in an interview and the 20-time English champions looked to capitalize on the situation.
However, no move materialized and the defender spent the season with Mauricio Pochettino’s side where he seems to have put all the off-field issues of last summer behind him. Rose went on to make only 17 appearances for the Lilywhites in an injury-riddled 2017-18 season, chipping in with a solitary assist.
Despite this, the links with Manchester United never subsided as the 27-year old was understood to be on top of Red Devils’ manager Jose Mourinho’s transfer wishlist.
The left-back position has been a problem area for Manchester United ever since the departure of Patrice Evra in 2014. Luke Shaw was expected to fill in the giant shoes left vacant by the Frenchman, but the former Southampton has struggled to establish himself at the Old Trafford with injury and fitness issues blighting his spell with the Mancunian outfit.
The likes of Daley Blind and Matteo Darmian were also tried out with little success, which led to Mourinho relying on veteran winger Ashley Young in a makeshift position at left-back over the course of this past campaign. The former Aston Villa man delivered the goods for his manager and his solid performances for the club were rewarded with a spot in the 23-man England squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Yet, there was a general acceptance around the club that a new left-back would be a necessary addition ahead of the next season, with Rose touted as the most likely target for Mourinho and Manchester United.
However, it seems that the Portuguese tactician has decided to put an end to the club’s pursuit of the 27-year old and has advised chief executive Ed Woodward to divert his attention towards strengthening the squad in other positions.
It is being claimed that Mourinho is willing to give Shaw another shot at proving himself at the club and will continue to back Young to be the first-choice left-back. And with Manchester United signing the young Diogo Dalot, who can operate on either side of the back four, the manager is understood to be satisfied with the options at his disposal and wants to reinforce his roster in other areas.
Along with Dalot, Manchester United have already signed Brazilian midfielder Fred from Shakhtar Donetsk and are understood to be in the market for a new striker as a backup for Romelu Lukaku, with Marko Arnautovic of West Ham United being linked strongly of late.
More signings are expected to come in at Old Trafford this summer, as they look to catch up with neighbours and reigning champions Manchester City next season. However, it does seem like Rose will have to kiss goodbye to his dream move to Manchester United.
