Nathan Collins (Getty Images)
According to Sky Sports (h/t The Sun), Manchester United are keeping close tabs on Stoke City defender Nathan Collins ahead of a possible summer move.
United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had also sent scouts to watch Collins in action earlier in the campaign, as per the report.
Collins, 18, joined Stoke’s U18 side from Irish club Cherry Orchard FC in the summer of 2017 and was promoted to the Potters’ first-team last summer. He has been excellent for them in the 9 appearances he has made. He also made his first start under Michael O’Neil last Wednesday in the 0-0 draw against Blackburn Rovers.
Meanwhile, the Red Devils are slowly showing their progress, especially after the arrival of Portuguese ace Bruno Fernandes. The former Sporting Lisbon has brought in creativity to the team and their attacking unit has also been bolstered by the arrival of Odion Ighalo on loan.
At the same time, their defensive unit has done a decent job so far, helping the team keep 18 clean sheets across all competitions in the campaign. Central defensive pair Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof struggled initially but as the season went by, they have formed a decent partnership.
Ivorian Eric Bailly, who had missed the majority of the games, returned to the squad and his performance in the 2-0 win over Chelsea was excellent. He continued that in the game against Club Brugge and looks fit to feature regularly.
United also have Phil Jones in their ranks and long-term absentees Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Axel Tuanzebe also recently returned from their injury issues. Solskjaer has managed to make his defensive line intact and therefore, it would be unnecessary to make defensive reinforcements in the summer, given he has many options to choose from.
In that regard, signing Nathan Collins at the moment would not be a wise decision. The 18-year-old’s progress at United would be hampered due to the presence of the big names already present in the team. Instead, he can develop himself in the Bet365 Stadium.
United would be wasting their resources by signing the Irish talent as he may not get regular game time and would be eventually pushed to the bench. Collins needs to mature himself to play well at a higher level and by sitting on the bench, his career might take a turn for worse.
The Red Devils have a plethora of defenders in their ranks and the manager should be able to do better with the available options by getting the best out of them. And instead of signing a defender, Solskjaer should look to improve the depth in other key areas.
Therefore, it would be a wise decision by the Old Trafford outfit to keep their eyes of the teenager and instead sign an established player to bolster their midfield options.
