Manchester United are expected to be active in the final two weeks of the January transfer window

Manchester United have reportedly entered the race to sign two-time England international Tyrick Mitchell in the final weeks of the transfer window.

The Red Devils are desperately scouring the market for new recruits to turn the side’s fortunes around after a lacklustre first half of the season which has seen the team pick up just 26 points from their opening 22 games. After the 3-1 defeat to Brighton at the weekend, Ruben Amorim launched a scathing attack on his United team and claimed at this moment they were the worst team that the club has ever had.

He said: "In 10 games in the Premier League, we won two. Imagine what this is for a fan of Manchester United. Imagine what this is for me. So we are getting a new coach that is losing more than the last coach. I have full knowledge of that. Like I said, I'm not going to change, no matter what. I know we can succeed, but we need to survive this moment. Because I'm not naive and I know that we need to survive now.

"We are being the worst team maybe in the history of Manchester United. I know that you want headlines, but I'm saying that because we have to acknowledge that and to change that. Here you go, your headlines."

Left-backs being targeted

Amorim arrived from Sporting Lisbon with the intention of playing a 3-4-3 system with a great emphasis on attacking wing-backs, but he has struggled to get the best out of the injury-hit Luke Shaw and the returning Tyrell Malacia, with natural right-sided defender Noussair Mazraoui often playing on his weaker side as makeshift left-back.

The 13-time champions were heavily linked with a move for talented Leece youngster Patrick Dorgu, but suffered a setback earlier this week after their initial bid of around £23m was turned down for the four-time Danish international. Napoli are also trying to sign the player.

ESPN have reported that that while United may still return to the table for Dorgu, who is keen on a move to Old Trafford, enquiries have also been made over Mitchell, who has significant Premier League experience.

What would Tyrick Mitchell bring to Manchester United?

Tyrick Mitchell is a natural left-sided wing-back that would instantly bring a sense of stability to United’s backline which has been missing since Luke Shaw’s injury.

Mitchell has been on the books at Crystal Palace since 2016 and made his professional top-flight debut at the start of the 2019/20 season before sustaining a season ending injury. Since then, over the last five seasons, he has established himself as a stalwart in the Palace backline and has thrived as both a left-back and wing-back under the guidance of Roy Hodgson, Patrick Vieira and most recently Oliver Glasner.

Mitchell likes to bomb forward, has excellent crossing ability and also excels in physical duels when defending against some of the league’s most talented wingers. Overall, Mitchell, who was capped twice for England in 2022, has racked up 170 appearances for Crystal Palace across all competitions , scoring three goals and contributing 11 assists in the process.

He has played in all of Crystal Palace’s Premier League matches this season, racking up 1912 minutes of top-flight action which is the 18th most in the division - and higher than any outfield Manchester United player, with only Andre Onana in between the posts getting more first team minutes.