Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has shown a particular fondness for recruiting from his homeland during his Old Trafford tenure so far, with the Dutchman notably snapping up the likes of Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia and Antony from the Eredivisie last summer.
The latest suggestion is that the 53-year-old could again be looking to utilise such connections to strike another deal come the end of the season, with the Daily Mail reporting that the former Ajax boss is an admirer of Utrecht starlet Taylor Booth.
The report claims that Ten Hag – who previously coached the Dutch outfit – still has ‘strong ties’ to the club and is duly keeping a close eye on the 21-year-old’s progress, with United just one of numerous clubs across Europe who have sat up and taken notice of the American sensation.
Having previously been on the books at Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, the 5 foot 9 dynamo made the move to the Netherlands at the start of the season after signing a pre-contract agreement in January 2022, with that switch already looking like a masterstroke for both parties.
While it is still early days, the playmaker has already impressed after providing five goal contributions in just 17 senior outings for Utrecht, with broadcaster Maximiliano Bretos stating that the youngster is now getting “rock star treatment” as a result of his standout form.
Should United’s interest become more concrete in the coming months, it would appear that Booth could well be an ideal heir to current star Bruno Fernandes at the Theatre of Dreams, with the Premier League giants currently lacking genuine alternatives to the 28-year-old in that creative midfield berth.
Like the Portuguese gem – who typically operates in a free role as the link between midfield and attack – Booth also appears to be best suited to a playmaking central berth.
He previously stated: “I can play anywhere in the midfield – I prefer 8 or 10 because I like more of an attacking role. I prefer a free, roaming role, I can always get on the ball. I love to have the ball at my feet. I love being involved in the game, getting my teammates involved in the game and I love to be able to dictate the tempo of the game.”
That likeness to Fernandes – who recently surpassed 100 goal involvements for the Manchester outfit – is also illustrated by the duo’s forward-thinking midfield approach, with the former Sporting Lisbon man averaging 5.89 progressive passes received per 90 (as per FBref), while Booth averages 5.27 in that regard.
Equally, the latter also offers a tenacious presence in the middle of the park by averaging 1.3 tackles per game in the league this season, while the current Red Devils ace has averaged an impressive 2.4 tackles per 90 from his 21 top-flight outings this season.
That should indicate that, if Ten Hag and co are looking for a possible successor to Fernandes in the years to come, they could well have already identified one in the form of young Booth.
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