How Antonee Robinson Compares to Lewis Hall As Man Utd Target New Left Back

As it stands, the Red Devils would go into next season with only Luke Shaw at left back.

Antonee Robinson is a potential option this summer. | Harry How/FIFA/Getty Images

Antonee Robinson is an “emerging” transfer target for Manchester United, with the Red Devils keeping track of options to add important depth to left back before next season.

With Tyrell Malacia being released at the end of this month, United only have Luke Shaw as a specialist for the position. The assumption is that Patrick Dorgu, although originally signed as a fullback in Jan. 2025, will continue to operate higher up the pitch as a winger.

Shaw just enjoyed probably his best season since arriving at Old Trafford in 2014, leaving injury problems firmly in the past and playing all 38 Premier League matches for the first time. Still, he will shortly turn 31 and is entering the final years of his career.

Newcastle United’s Lewis Hall is the name that has been linked for some time. Sky Sports notes that interest in the 21-year-old continues with ongoing “monitoring,” but Robinson is the newer candidate on the list. Almost 29, the Fulham defender is a different kind of target, perhaps a backup to Shaw over the next few seasons rather than a long-term successor like Hall might be.

Pace and a high work rate could make Robinson a good fit for Manchester United’s much-talked about ‘DNA.’ For a defender, his attacking output is also considerable. This past season is a poor example because of injury trouble, but he made 10 Premier League assists for Fulham in 2024–25.

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Antonee Robinson vs. Lewis Hall Comparison

Antonee Robinson (left) and Lewis Hall are at the top of United’s transfer radar. | Rob Newell/CameraSport/Getty Images, Serena Taylor/Newcastle United/Getty Images

	Antonee Robinson	Lewis Hall
Current Club	Fulham	Newcastle
Age	28	21
Contract Expiry	2028	2029
Transfer Value	$25.3 million	$46.1 million
Premier League Appearances	158	84
Premier League G/A	18	8
National Team Caps	54	4

Transfer value according to Transfermarkt.

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Every American Player at Man Utd

Tim Howard made 77 Man Utd appearances. | Gary M.Prior/Getty Images

Although born a 30-minute train ride from London and raised in Liverpool, Robinson is a member of the U.S. men’s national team, eligible through his father.

Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, ‘Jedi’ has played 54 times for the Stars and Stripes since debuting in 2018. Should a transfer to Manchester United come to fruition, he wouldn’t be the first U.S. player to sign with the Red Devils by a long shot.

That honor went to often forgotten forward Jim Brown, almost 100 years ago. Brown was born in Scotland but emigrated to New Jersey as a teenager in 1927, becoming a soccer player and then earning a call-up to the USMNT for the inaugural World Cup in 1930. He went on to play two seasons with United from 1932–1934 and only returned to America after World War II to become a coach.

Fast forward to the Premier League era, Tim Howard and Jonathan Spector both had spells with Manchester United, although the latter played only eight times and left permanently at age 20.

Jovan Kirovski was also recruited by the Red Devils, joining the academy in 1992. But several years trying and failing to obtain a U.K. work permit meant he never played in a first-team match. Kirovski more famously became the first American to win the UEFA Champions League after a minor role with Borussia Dortmund in 1996–97 and is most remembered for his MLS and national team career.

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