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Manchester United have reportedly joined Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur in the race to sign Borussia Monchengladbach centre-back Ko Itakura.
According to Football Transfers, the Red Devils have made the defender one of their priority targets, given his proficiency in playing out from the back. He has a release clause of £13 million.
United boss Erik ten Hag is also seeking competition for Raphael Varane, whose future remains uncertain. Amid injuries to the Frenchman and Lisandro Martinez, the Red Devils have had to deploy Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans in defence this campaign.
This season, Itakura has made seven Bundesliga appearances and bagged two goals. He has missed Monchengladbach's last 10 outings due to an ankle injury.
Overall, the former Manchester City star has made 33 appearances across competitions for Monchengladbach, bagging two goals and assists apiece. A move to United in the Premier League may be tempting because of the step-up in competition.
However, he might not make the move, considering United's struggles this campaign. They're out of the UEFA Champions League and the Carabao Cup. In the Premier League, Ten Hag's side are seventh, eight points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, who have a game in hand.
Gary Neville points out trouble with Bruno Fernandes' free-roaming role at Manchester United
Manchester United legend Gary Neville reckons midfielder Bruno Fernandes' freedom to roam about the pitch is creating issues in building combinations or patterns of play.
Despite reserving praise for Fernandes' talent, the former defender said that Ten Hag needs to demand the Portuguese star to get back into position, telling Sky Sports:
"He must be told to go and do what you want. I don't see Ten Hag say to him, 'get back in'. With Pep Guardiola, if a (Man City) player plays out of position for a minute or two minutes (Guardiola and his coaches are) on the sideline saying, 'get back into your position.'"
He added:
"Ten Hag is giving him the freedom to go there, there, there. And that means you can never have a combination or a pattern because you've got your main midfield player everywhere on the pitch."
Fernandes has been a standout player for a struggling Manchester United side, scoring six goals and assisting five in 28 appearances across competitions. He will next be in action when the Red Devils face Newport County in the FA Cup fourth round on January 28.
