Five Alternative Left Backs Man Utd Could Target After Lewis Hall ‘Setback’

Any hope Manchester United might have had of signing Lewis Hall from Newcastle United appears to be diminishing, given how the Magpies have already sold two players for big money this summer and could soon also cash in on Bruno Guimarães.

Guimarães is wanted by Arsenal, while Sandro Tonali has joined Tottenham Hotspur and Anthony Gordon will soon be reporting for duty with Barcelona after a post-World Cup break.

Those three transfers alone will raise around $336 million (£250 million) and there is little financial motivation to sell Hall as well. Fabrizio Romano reports that Newcastle don’t intend to and will make things “complicated” for any club who tries an approach.

Only an astonishingly high United offer for Hall might change things. Bearing in mind that still signing a third central midfielder, a left winger—depending on Marcus Rashford’s situation—and maybe also a backup striker would be the ideal end to the summer transfer window, it feels unlikely to throw a lot of money at just one position.

United have made a point this summer of quickly moving on from targets whose costs don’t meet their model. For the same money that Spurs recruited Mateus Fernandes, the Red Devils went into the market and signed both Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans instead.

Why Man Utd Need a Left Back

Manchester United got by last season because Luke Shaw suddenly became a bastion of reliability. After years fighting injury problems, the now 31-year-old started every Premier League match—it was only the second time since leaving Southampton as a teenager in 2014 that he’d made more than 30 appearances in a single league campaign.

Asking Shaw to do that again, when the Champions League will add at least eight extra matches to the 2026–27 calendar and domestic cup campaigns also ought to not be so short, is too much. Tyrell Malacia was released at the end of June, and the only senior cover that currently exists—assuming Patrick Dorgu is now being considered a winger rather than a defender—is repurposed from elsewhere on the pitch—right backs Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui, and center backs Ayden Heaven and Lisandro Martínez.

Academy graduate Harry Amass has impressed so far in the early stages of preseason, but rather than promote him permanently to the first team, The Athletic recently reported a willingness to cash in for as little as $8 million (£6 million).

United could seek someone to serve as immediate cover for Shaw over the next two to three seasons, or pursue who they believe could ultimately be his long-term replacement. At the age of 21—turning 22 next month—and an England international, Hall fell into the latter category.

Alternative Left Backs Man Utd Could Target

When it comes to already being proven in the Premier League, Tyrick Mitchell could be a top consideration. The 26-year-old is not a raw talent, but equally still has plenty of career ahead of him. This season is the last of his current contract with Crystal Palace for whom he started 36 of 38 league matches in 2025–26 and helped the Eagles win the UEFA Conference League.

At his best, Mitchell managed to play his way into the England squad under Gareth Southgate and is generally known as a defense-first fullback—so perhaps a safe pair of hands.

A little bit of a late bloomer, David Raum has played consistently in the Bundesliga for the last five years and has 39 caps for Germany over the same period. He’s considered strong in terms of chance creation and finished 2025–26 with nine assists to his name. Crossing is a particular strongpoint, which could complement a penalty-box striker like Benjamin Šeško.

Like Mitchell, he’s now in the last year of his current contract with RB Leipzig.

Among other players with existing Premier League experience, USMNT left back Antonee Robinson has already been linked with Old Trafford. He would be of the shorter-term cover options, rather than someone to take over Shaw’s role in the long run.

West Ham United’s El Hadji Malick Diouf would be an investment for the future. The 21-year-old Senegal international just completed a breakout season with the Hammers and was one of few bright sparks in a team that was relegated. Brentford have been credited with interest in bringing him straight back to the Premier League, although there appears to be a determination to keep him in east London for similar reasons to Newcastle and Hall.

Ferdi Kadıoğlu became Brighton & Hove Albion’s starting left back last season. The Seagulls are known for strong talent identification and recruitment, having been responsible for taking Marc Cucurella’s career to new heights after plucking him from Getafe in 2021. The 26-year-old Türkiye international is versatile enough to also provide cover on the right or further forward.

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