Man United now have golden chance to sign Alejandro Balde
Man United must be planning to try and sign Alejandro Balde in January as he continues to struggle for game time at Barcelona.
Michael Carrick failed to bolster his left-back options in the summer window as United chased several targets.
The Red Devils boss made the position a priority area to address in a quest to provide competition to Luke Shaw.
Balde emerged as a possible capture for the Old Trafford club, but no new signing arrived as Shaw was again left as Carrick's only recognised left-back option.
The Spaniard was a standout for Barcelona last season but has struggled for game time at the start of this campaign.
He looks to have slipped down the pecking order under Hansi Flick and would surely be open to joining United in the January window, as a result.
Alejandro Balde set to be available for transfer amid Barcelona issues
Balde is a product of La Masia and has made 169 appearances for Barcelona's first team since his senior debut in 2021.
He registered three assists in 42 appearances as they cruised to another La Liga title, but did struggle for regular starts towards the end of the campaign behind Joao Cancelo.
Sources exclusively revealed to Football Insider ahead of the deadline that United wanted to accelerate a move for Balde, but he made it clear that he wished to stay and fight for his place at Camp Nou.
Cancelo has kept his place in the side this season, however, while Xavi Espart has also emerged as a senior option, with Balde only handed his first competitive appearance of the campaign against Racing Santander on Wednesday.
He came off the bench for the last 15 minutes in Barca's 7-2 home win, following five consecutive games sat on the bench.
Balde will surely not be content with picking up pity minutes for much longer at just 22-years-old, and so United could have a great opportunity to land his services in the January window.
What has Flick said about Balde's situation?
Balde has been a regular for Barca since the start of the 2022-23 season, with this being the first real adversity he has faced in professional football.
Flick seems to have lost trust in him, despite Balde's form not really dropping off last season, and he shed more light on the situation ahead of Wednesday's game.
The German said: "At the moment we have five full-backs: two on the right, and of course João can play on either the left or right, and three on the left. Nobody expected Xavi Espart to play at this level before the season, so of course he has to give his best, and he is.
”Of course, the situation isn’t ideal, that’s normal. He’s not playing, he’s not getting minutes. In the last two years he was a key player, that’s normal. But in the end, when the season starts, things change, young players come in, things happen and you have to manage them.
“We have to play at the highest level and everyone has to show it. Am I not happy with him? No. I’m happy with him and with all the players. It’s not an easy situation, but they’re doing well."