Man Utd Are About to Make Huge Transfer Mistake

He studied journalism at the University of South Wales and published a football book, named Bluebird Heaven, around the same time with Pitch Publishing.

Since then, Jamie has continued to specialise in football journalism, PR and football-related Spanish translation. He has worked with a number of media companies, including Reach PCL, Iconic Group and many more over a decade-long career. Sign in to your GiveMeSport account Manchester United must be careful not to miss out on what could be a generational talent this summer. The Red Devils have a number of areas they want to strengthen after a season of progress that saw them finish in third in the Premier League.

Michael Carrick has been kept around as the club's new permanent boss, and while he did very well last season, he will know that more progress will be expected this season. New recruits will be needed to help make that happen, but it's not just a case of upgrading. There are parts of this United squad that now have holes following the usual slew of summer departures, and one of them is at left-back.

United's left-back problem is two-fold. The Red Devils are sorely lacking in depth following the departure of Tyrell Malacia, now down to just Luke Shaw and the young Diego León. And with Shaw 30 years of age and having had his fair share of injury issues, Carrick is arguably lacking a starting left-back.

The right starting left-back signing could solve both of those issues, given there will be a reduced need for depth, especially with a couple of the centre-backs able to play on the left in an emergency, while León could be used if needed, provided he is not loaned out.

But getting the right starting left-back is another task altogether, and reports now suggest that United will resist getting stuck in a bidding war for Eintracht Frankfurt's Nathaniel Brown, instead turning to £80million-rated Lewis Hall.

Hall has impressed with Newcastle United, but he had a rocky end to the season that may have played a part in him missing out on the England World Cup squad.

United's recent recruitment has been seriously impressive. They have moved away from paying silly fees for unproven players, instead going with a nice mix of players who have proven themselves in the Premier League, and some more calculated risks from abroad.

To that end, it's understandable why United don't want to find themselves in a bidding war for Brown, but some players are worth paying for.

Hall is a very good player, and he is undoubtedly proving himself in the Premier League. But at 22 years of age, everyone in Germany is recognising Brown, described as 'fearless' by the Bundesliga website, as a generational talent who will be Germany's starting left-back for years to come. That's a different level to Hall, who isn't even among England's best two or three left-backs.

Beyond that simple logic, Brown is coming off a season of registering four goals and six assists, proving himself as not only a solid left-back defensively, but one who can get forward, support the attack and produce. That kind of left-back is crucial in the modern era, and it will be crucial to keeping United a dangerous attack going forward.

Hall is far more of the traditional mould, and while there is a place for that, Carrick and the Red Devils need to be more ambitious.

And, given the news that Bayern Munich appear to have come to an agreement over a €55million (£47.5million) fee including add-ons, he would be considerably cheaper than Hall. That agreement also means United need to act quickly to complete a last-minute hijack if they are interested in the player.

The decision should be obvious for United, and this World Cup will highlight why, with Brown playing a starring role for Germany and already getting on the scoresheet in his first game.

Manchester United are interested in signing Newcastle United defender Lewis Hall this summer