The end of the January transfer window is now in sight, yet the question remains as to whether Manchester United will dip into the market to strengthen their hand, with funds said to be tight amid potential FFP concerns.
Injuries and absences had forced Erik ten Hag to seek out a handful of short-term, low-cost deals this time last year, with the likes of Wout Weghorst and Marcel Sabitzer making the move to Old Trafford on loan until the end of the season.
It does appear that any move this month would have to be a similar temporary deal due to the Red Devils' restricted budget, although that has not stopped the rumours circling regarding potential high-profile additions that could be made before the climax of the window.
According to the latest reports, United – who signed Andre Onana from Inter Milan over the summer – could be afforded the chance to snap up another experienced gem from the Serie A giants.
Man Utd eyeing Inter star
As per The Sun, Ten Hag and co are said to have been offered the chance to sign the rampaging full-back Denzel Dumfries as part of a 'shock swap deal', with the San Siro outfit having included the Netherlands international in their bid to sign Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
The decision to include the former PSV Eindhoven defender – who has just 18 months left on his existing deal at the club – is said to have come as a 'surprise', although the indication is that the Old Trafford side have already 'rejected' the proposal.
Despite rebuffing the approach from the Nerazzurri, prior reports had indicated that the 27-year-old was a player on United's radar, hence ensuring that this may not be the end of the story regarding a possible move to Manchester for Dumfries.
How Dumfries would fit in at Man Utd
Over the last 18 months or so, Ten Hag has rotated between Wan-Bissaka and Diogo Dalot at right-back, albeit with neither truly nailing down that berth to date, with the two men particularly frustrating with regard to their attacking output.
In regards to the former Crystal Palace man, he has scored just twice and registered only 13 assists in 177 games for the club in all competitions, while Dalot, meanwhile, hasn't fared much better, providing just 12 goal involvements in 135 outings thus far.
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Such woes have likely not aided those in front of them in recent times, with £86m flop, Antony, potentially in need of a fresh face to support him, like Dumfries, after failing to strike up a partnership with either Dalot or Wan-Bissaka.
The fleet-footed Brazilian – who has failed to score or provide an assist this season – regularly seeks to cut inside onto his stronger left foot, something which can be stifled by Dalot's regular inverted runs, while a player who is "useless" on the ball in the form of Wan-Bissaka, according to club legend Paul Scholes, is also not the best comrade in attack.
Dumfries, therefore, should provide the dream partner to help get the best out of the floundering Antony, with the £26m-rated machine registering 27 goals and assists in just 114 games for his current side, having been described as a "joy to watch" by journalist Antonio Mango.
As Mango also noted, a key feature of the Dutchman's game is "energy' and the fact that he "just wants to get forward", ensuring he can offer those overlapping runs to allow the space for the current United man to cut inside.
That willingness to bomb forward can be seen by the fact that the £53k-per-week machine ranks in the top 1% among his European peers for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90, having been hailed as the "ideal full-back" by compatriot, Rafael van der Vaart.
15 games (13 starts)
2 goals
3 assists
3 'big chances' created
1.3 key passes per game
58% aerial duels won
2.4 balls recovered per game
7.01 avg. match rating
Stats via Sofascore
While reports have indicated that Antony could be a notable casualty of the new Sir Jim Ratcliffe regime, Ten Hag could help revive his former Ajax starlet by bringing the lively Dumfries into the fold in the near future.
