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Manchester United’s hunt for a left-back may have seen them miss out on Lewis Hall in the summer, but a move for Bournemouth’s Adrien Truffert looks increasingly viable, with the Frenchman ready to move to Old Trafford.
United may have played down the need for cover for Luke Shaw, but the consensus going into the summer transfer window was that additional depth was required in this area due to the increased intensity of the club’s schedule.
Truffert has emerged as one of the Premier League’s form players in the role, and when asked to step up for France in recent matches, he has come through with flying colours.
That was evident once again with his performance in the Nations League against Italy, with the 1-1 draw at Stade de France confirming the player’s readiness to step up to one of the Premier League’s biggest clubs.
He was the most accomplished defender in the home side and, crucially, provided the type of attacking outlet that Shaw is no longer able to provide for the Red Devils.
Truffert’s statistics were impressive. He finished the match missing only one pass of the 51 he attempted and completed 100% of his three dribbles. On the defensive side of things, meanwhile, he won both his tackles and six of his nine duels.
Physically, he was not found wanting, showing a capacity to get up and down the left flank, completing the all-round performance that France’s new head coach demands of his full-backs.
Man Utd’s interest confirmed
United’s interest in Truffert has previously been established by The Athletic‘s David Ornstein, who confirmed: “Truffert has a really good age profile [he’s 25 in November]. He’s the sort of player that you could see moving.
“Manchester United were one team that we talked about with left-backs over the window, and there will be more. It is going to be an interesting one.
“I’m hearing a value of around £60m and that there’s potentially a deal to be done next summer.
“I could see him being capable of playing for one of the biggest clubs.”
TeamTalk adds: “Scouts have watched him regularly, and the recruitment team view him as a strong tactical fit, particularly now the side is operating in a more conventional back four.”
Truffert is an upgrade on Shaw
Truffert’s form for France, meanwhile, backs up his early season form in the Premier League for Bournemouth. Data analytics firm SciSports rates him as the best-performing full-back in England’s top flight, with the caveat that the data sample size is not yet big enough to draw any definitive conclusions based on this season’s form alone.
However, over the longer term, the former Rennes player is already seen as an upgrade on Shaw based on his SciSkill, which is calculated using hundreds of in-game data points.
Furthermore, the forecast for Truffert’s future is looking increasingly bright. He is in a period of ‘rapid growth’, according to SciSports, and his ceiling is being reassessed upwards rapidly on a consistent basis. Among Premier League left-backs with a SciSkill of over 100, only Nico Reilly’s potential is growing faster.
Truffert’s ascent comes at a time when Hall’s ceiling is dropping rapidly. The Newcastle star’s peak is now estimated at 120.7, which is above Truffert’s 114.0, but has dropped from 127.1 over the last six months.
Truffert to Man Utd: What are the chances of a deal?
In the short term, it would be surprising if Bournemouth were willing to sell Truffert to Manchester United in January. Such a transfer would require the Red Devils paying an extravagant price for the Frenchman – and that’s simply something that Ineos have refused to do for players.
However, the signs are that the player could push for a transfer in 2027, with TeamTalk reporting:
“Sources have stated that a move to a club the size of United would be difficult for Truffert to ignore.
“The Red Devils have been unusually open about their interest, a sign that they would not publicise their admiration so freely unless they believed the player wanted the move.
“In modern football, clubs of United’s stature typically only become this transparent when they already have a clear indication of the player’s stance.”
Truffert’s Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) sits at €43.7 million, but under contract until 2030, Bournemouth are in firm command of his future and are notorious for driving a hard bargain. Man Utd may have the player’s green light, but there’s still work to be done.
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