Manchester United scouts told transfer targets must have three key qualities… and Jadon Sancho ticks every box
Manchester United have told scouts to find players who are ‘humble and arrogant with an X-factor.’
Those are the qualities Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insists are vital to his Old Trafford revolution – and why he has made Jadon Sancho his priority target
United want to sign as many as three players this summer, with the Borussia Dortmund winger at the top of their wanted list.
Their team of worldwide talent spotters have been working to a remit set out by Solskjaer as part of an overhaul of the club’s recruitment department.
United, who are still to appoint a director of football, are instead deploying a transfer committee, who they believe have fixed their shambolic spending of recent years.
Solskjaer, who has a veto along with other heads of the recruitment department, has been key to that, with his refusal to settle for players he insists are not up to United's high standards.
It is why he was prepared to go into the season without a striker, despite allowing Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez to leave last summer.
And it’s why he has only brought in four permanent signings while nine senior players have been shown the door since he took over from Jose Mourinho 16 months ago.
His wanted list this summer – drawn up by January – points to the direction he is taking United in and the high bar he has set for any potential signings.
Positions in need of address were agreed upon in September during a meeting with the transfer committee, which includes among others: chief scout Jim Lawlor; technical chief scout Mick Court; head of global scouting Marcel Bout, and assistant manager Mike Phelan.
It was determined that right wing, centre forward and midfield would need to be filled with top-class acquisitions if United were to seriously challenge next season.
They missed out on Erling Braut Haaland, but are prepared to go back in for the Norway starlet if Dortmund are willing to sell in the summer, while there is growing confidence they will land Sancho a year after first trying to land him.
Jack Grealish and James Maddison are both midfield targets – even after signing Bruno Fernandes in January – while Donny van de Beek is also highly rated by Solskjaer.
Jude Bellingham is another they are actively working on.
A central defender is not a priority, but United maintain a long-standing interest in Matthijs de Ligt and Kalidou Koulibaly.
With shortlists of three to five in each position Solskjaer wants filled, his targets are not limited to those names: Moussa Dembele and Timo Werner are options up front, while Odion Ighalo could yet get a permanent deal.
But the profile of player he wants to bring in is largely set.
There is a preference for the best domestic talent, which sources who know him well predicted would be the case after working for so long under Sir Alex Ferguson.
While United’s hierarchy privately accept they are no longer able to pick off the best players from their Premier League rivals, there is still a determination to try to sign the best emerging British talent.
Speaking this week, Gary Neville, pointed to Ferguson’s principles in the market.
“He wanted to promote youth wherever possible, that was No1 before he even looked at the external market,” he told Sky Sports.
“No2 was to look at the best in the Premier League, those he could trust, and still have growth and be with the club for a long time. Gary Pallister, Steve Bruce, Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Robin van Persie.
“And then he always wanted emerging international talent that could come over to Manchester, that he could work with and develop into great players. Nemanja Vidic, Peter Schmeichel, Patrice Evra, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
“He very rarely ventured into the world of buying the complete star, and it’s not far off Pep Guardiola’s tactic with Manchester City right now.
“Sir Alex wanted hunger.”
Solskjaer wants players who are humble enough to put the team above themselves and be relatable to fans.
But he has told scouts to find players who will ‘grow into the shirt’ and thrive on the pressure that comes with playing for United.
And the X-factor is acknowledgement of what it takes to become an Old Trafford icon – a player who will get fans out of their seats.
It sounds simple enough when put down in black and white, but it has taken Solskjaer’s clear-eyed approach to begin to put United’s recruitment policy back on track.
Now it’s just a case of the club’s hierarchy delivering on those targets.
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