The season's curtain-raiser may have ended in defeat for Manchester United, but there were plenty of positives to take for Erik ten Hag in Saturday's Community Shield, not least the performance of his captain, Bruno Fernandes.
Having been rewarded for his fine form last season with a bumper new deal, the club's Player of the Year for 2023/24 was at his majestic best against Pep Guardiola's side, pulling the strings beautifully from his unorthodox false nine berth.
Denied what would have been one of the great Wembley goals after seeing his stunning second-half strike ruled out for offside, the Portuguese genius looks to be warming up nicely for the new season, ahead of Friday's Premier League opener against Fulham.
As the weekend showcased, the 29-year-old remains the main man for the Red Devils, with the club seemingly targeting a signing that would represent a dream addition for the former Sporting CP star.
Latest on Man Utd's transfer search
According to Spanish outlet, Sport – via Sport Witness – the Old Trafford outfit are believed to have 'entered the fray' with regard to the potential signing of Barcelona winger, Raphinha, amid claims that the club are looking to move on both Antony and Jadon Sancho this summer.
The report suggests that the LaLiga giants are looking to cash in on the 27-year-old – whom they signed for £55m from Leeds United back in 2022 – in order to raise funds, with the Brazilian unlikely to have a prominent role at Camp Nou next season.
The piece goes on to add that Hansi Flick's side would accept a bid of €60m (£51m) from United, if one were to arrive.
Why Raphinha would be a good signing for Man Utd
Like Fernandes, the wing wizard was also once on the books at Sporting, with the pair lining up together during the 2018/19 season. That solitary campaign in Lisbon saw Raphinha rack up 14 goal involvements in just 41 games, prior to departing for Rennes.
Despite their brief time as teammates, both the Porto Alegre-born star and Fernandes struck up a strong relationship, with the United skipper having regularly dished out praise on his former colleague in the years since.
As Fred revealed back in 2021, the playmaker had "been talking about Raphinha ever since he arrived" in Manchester, indicating just how highly-regarded the Barca man is by United's talisman.
A potential dream signing in the dressing room for Fernandes, Raphinha could also be a perfect addition on the pitch as well, helping the Red Devils to finally find a long-term solution on the right flank.
With Antony – who scored just one league goal last season – still failing to spark following his £86m move two years ago, the onus has now fallen on Amad Diallo to carry the creative, attacking burden on that side, with Ivorian having started in that role against Manchester City.
While the 22-year-old showed flashes of his quality last season – notably scoring that stoppage-time winner against Liverpool in the FA Cup – he remains somewhat untested at the elite level, having started just five Premier League games in total since arriving back in January 2021.
Raphinha, meanwhile, is undoubtedly a Premier League-proven talent, having scored 17 goals and registered 12 assists in just 65 appearances in the competition during his stint at Leeds.
As pundit Graeme Souness stated at the time, the 5 foot 9 ace is the type of player who "gets you on the edge of your seat", while also possessing the end product to match – a winning combination for any United player.
Amad may be a player of exciting potential, but the Brazilian is the finished article, as shown by his tally of 23 goal involvements last season in Catalonia. The United man, meanwhile, registered just two goals and one assist.
Stat (*per game)
Raphinha
Amad
Games (starts)
28 (17)
9 (3)
Goals
6
1
Assists
9
1
Big chances created
11
1
Key passes*
1.5
1.1
Pass accuracy*
81%
88%
Successful dribbles
0.9
1.2
Possession lost
8.6
5.9
Stats via Sofascore
As also indicated in the table above, Raphinha could then be the perfect upgrade on the right flank, while also offering the chance to rekindle his partnership with Fernandes in the attacking ranks.
Such a deal certainly wouldn't come cheap, even with Barca's desire to sell, but what a way it would be to round off the transfer window.
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