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[MyDaily = Reporter Kim Geon-ho] Manchester United is targeting a young midfielder born in 2003, Shea Charles.
United plans to bolster its midfield ahead of next season. The club is expected to sign at least two central midfielders as it looks to strengthen squad depth for UEFA Champions League competition.
Since last year, several midfielders have been linked with United, including Ederson (Atalanta), Carlos Baleba (Brighton & Hove Albion), Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest) and Aurélien Tchouaméni (Real Madrid).
Amid that activity, United has shown interest in a young midfielder who came up through Manchester City’s academy.
GiveMeSport reported on May 22 that United sent scouts last month to watch Southampton standout Shea Charles. The outlet added that United had also taken notice of him in March, when Northern Ireland fell to Italy in a World Cup playoff despite Charles turning in an impressive performance.
Charles left Manchester City for Southampton in July 2023 and made 38 appearances in his first season, helping the club secure promotion to the Premier League. He then spent a season on loan at Sheffield Wednesday to gain experience, and returned to Southampton this season, making another 38 appearances.
Southampton finished fourth in the Championship and reached the promotion playoffs. They beat Middlesbrough in the semifinal but were disqualified before the playoff final against Hull City after admitting they had secretly observed opponents’ training sessions — a scandal that ended their promotion push.
United could look to exploit that situation. GiveMeSport, citing the Mirror, reports United may move for Charles in the wake of Southampton’s play-off disqualification. Southampton admitted spying on the training sessions of three rival clubs and were expelled from the play-offs.
The report adds that missing out on next season’s Premier League will likely force Southampton into a battle to keep their best players, and that Charles — valued at around £20 million (approximately 40 billion KRW, 30 million USD) — could become available.
United need to bring in multiple players. Signing lower-cost options like Charles to add squad depth would be a sensible approach.
GiveMeSport described Charles as a practical, far cheaper alternative and noted he has already shown he can perform against top Premier League teams. They pointed to his decisive goal in April that knocked Arsenal out of the FA Cup.
The outlet also noted that United technical director Jason Wilcox — who earlier signed Charles when he held the same role at Southampton — knows the player well. Wilcox also served as Manchester City’s academy director while Charles was in City’s youth setup.
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