Manchester United have significant recruitment work to do if they’re to become competitive in the Premier League.
The Red Devils have made some questionable decisions in the transfer market and the need to refresh Ruben Amorim’s squad is an opportunity to get back on track.
Reported interest in a midfield target with recent history of injuries and some appalling social media activity doesn’t bode well for a sensible summer.
Manchester United in the market for a midfielder
According to reports originating in Germany, Man United are keen on Borussia Dortmund midfielder Felix Nmecha.
Dortmund don’t plan to sell the 24-year-old, whose contract runs to the summer of 2028, but failure to qualify for the Champions League might leave them with little choice.
They currently sit in the bottom half of the table having lost more Bundesliga matches this season than they’ve won, and Nmecha has been out with an injury since January.
The German international missed a significant chunk of last season too, but his injury problems since moving from Wolfsburg in 2023 are just one of the issues any future employers must consider.
Journalist Raphael Honigstein wrote at the time of the move that “the club have reportedly hedged their financial risk of signing Nmecha by inserting a heavy penalty clause if he posts any more discriminatory messages.”
That Dortmund were willing to sign Nmecha in the first place was cause for disappointment among supporters and those ‘messages’ – while the player has sought to distance himself from them – should give United pause.
“In February [2023], Nmecha, a devout Christian, shared an Instagram post by the American conservative pundit Matt Walsh that mocked the parent of a transgender child,” reported Honigstein.
“Following a social media backlash, Nmecha posted that he didn’t agree ‘with the majority of what Matt Walsh says and how he mocks people’ but offered no apology.
“In another Instagram story that coincided with the beginning of Pride Month in June, he shared a message that equated pride with satanic worship.”
These actions don’t sit well with Dortmund’s stated code of universal values but they signed Nmecha anyway.
Like Dortmund, the Red Devils will put football matters at the top of their list of considerations.
Nmecha’s injury absences will be a concern before his values are even discussed.
But when it comes to the international reputation of a global club that wants to be welcoming to all and ensure it sends the right messages, United must proceed with extreme caution when it comes to the recruitment of players with a track record of contradictory messages.
