Man United plan to accelerate Lewis Hall bid as Michael Carrick is a 'big fan'
Manchester United are planning to accelerate their move to sign Newcastle United star Lewis Hall after shifting their priorities.
The Red Devils have been focusing on improving their midfield this summer, but have now altered their focus to other areas of the squad, including signing a new left-back.
Luke Shaw is still seen as the first choice in his position, but Michael Carrick wants to add depth and quality to his squad ahead of their upcoming Champions League campaign.
Former Man United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that Carrick is a "big fan" of Hall and believes he would be the ideal option to improve in that position.
The 21-year-old enjoyed an outstanding season under Eddie Howe last time out, placing a number of clubs on alert, and Man United could now be ready to make a move.
Newcastle are understandably reluctant to lose another star player this summer and will drive a hard bargain, but there is a feeling that Hall would be open to the move.
Could Man United make a move to sign Lewis Hall?
Brown told Football Insider last month that Man United have set their sights on Hall and are keen to explore whether he could be lured away from St James' Park.
The England international has emerged as Man United's first-choice option to strengthen at left-back, as a result of his outstanding performances for Newcastle.
After shifting their priorities towards other key areas of the squad, Hall is now high on their list of targets, and they could be tempted to make a move in the near future.
"Lewis Hall is somebody who keeps being spoken about at Man United," Brown told Football Insider.
"It looks like they want to start work on improving other areas of the team, of course we've spoken about the midfield but they are now ready to look at other targets.
"Hall is somebody who Michael Carrick is a big fan of, he had an excellent season for Newcastle and is probably one of the best in the league in his position.
"So when we're talking about Man United signing a left-back, he is probably the outstanding candidate for that position.
"Luke Shaw is obviously the first-choice in that position and he seems to have gotten over his injury issues, he played almost every game last season.
"But they're playing in the Champions League next season, so they want to add depth and quality to the squad, and to sign somebody like Hall would certainly add that.
"Whether or not they can do a deal with Newcastle, I think it'll be difficult because they won't want to sell, but if the player wants to make the move then we'll see."
However, any deal will depend on whether Newcastle are willing to sell, with the club set to demand a significant fee for the player who has three years left on his contract.
Brown told Football Insider in March that Newcastle will not entertain offers for Hall and hope to keep him as a key part of Howe's squad for the upcoming season.
After a 12th-place finish last time out, the Magpies are looking to get back to their best, and believe keeping Hall will be vital to their ambitions.
Having already lost Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali, and with Bruno Guimaraes keen to move on, Newcastle are determined to stop the exodus of their star players.