Manchester United 'looking' at free agent addition after heavy Liverpool loss

Manchester United are reportedly looking into a potential deal for Adrien Rabiot amid Anderlecht interest in Christian Eriksen, according to a report by Belgian news outlet RTL. The midfielder remains a free agent so can still be signed despite the English transfer window shutting last Friday.

United could see the France international as someone to bolster their midfield options after they lost two of their first three fixtures of the new Premier League season. Rabiot, 29, cut ties with Juventus at the end of the campaign and continues to weigh up his options in the game. He has made 463 appearances in his career to date and has scored 48 goals.

He rose into the first-team of PSG as a youngster and went on to play 227 games for the Ligue 1 giants in his early career, finding the net on 24 occasions. The Saint Maurice-born also had a loan spell away at Toulouse to get some experience under his belt.

Rabiot joined Juventus in 2019 and became a key player for the Serie outfit. He fired 22 goals in 212 outings before heading out the exit door. He needs a new challenge now and would be ideal for United if he ends up joining them. They need to freshen up their options in the middle of the park and the fact he is left-footed would give them a different dimension.

That department has had a shake-up recently with Scott McTominay leaving for Napoli and Manuel Ugarte replacing him from PSG. There are also question marks over whether Casemiro will get another chance after a poor showing against Liverpool.

United were thumped 3-0 over the weekend. Their former captain Roy Keane slammed their performance and said on Sky Sports: “You can try and dress it up a little bit but United were shocking, really shocking. Every time Liverpool went forward, they looked like they were going to score. You'd be worried for the manager. I would never stand here and say I expect a manager to lose his job, but the pressure must be building.

Meanwhile, fellow pundit Jamie Carragher added: “Ten Hag said we'll see where we are at the end of the season, but I'd be surprised if he's still in charge then. It looks a mess. The ownership didn't want to keep him. They were scurrying around Europe seeing if they could find someone better, but they didn't have the nerve to make the change. It's only delaying the inevitable.”

United have a lot of work to do over the international break to tighten up their defence. Rabiot is now being linked and time will tell whether they lodge him an offer.

They are back in action with an away trip to newly promoted Southampton which is a good chance to return to winning ways. The Saints haven’t won yet since winning the Championship play-off final at Wembley against Leeds United under Russell Martin to book their place back in the top flight.