In the race to sign young prodigy Jude Bellingham, Manchester United has reportedly lagged behind clubs like Liverpool and Manchester City. However, a recent report teases Erik ten Hag as taking a fresh approach.

What’s new with Bellingham and Manchester United?

The Telegraph recently reported that United’s interest in the Golden Gem of the Yellow Wall has increased and that he may be targeted more specifically as the season draws to a close, with a minimum fee of €125 million (£110 million) being tipped for his signing.

This season, Bellingham’s transfer saga has possibly garnered the most attention in all of football, with European powerhouses Real Madrid, as well as the aforementioned Liverpool and Man City, being the undisputed favorites.

But, with Man United building a resilient team under Ten Hag’s guidance, Bellingham’s inclusion could be the last piece needed to reawaken the club’s full power.

Would Casemiro make the ideal center-back partner for Bellingham?

Last year, United performed horribly, finishing the regular season in sixth place with just 58 points, without any hardware once more and with grave concern due to their failure to make the Champions League.

After 26 games and a win in the Carabao Cup, the Red Devils are comfortably in the top four. They are still competing on all fronts for major championships, though it may be impossible to close the gap on Premier League leaders Arsenal.

Raphael Honigstein called the player a “generational talent,” and his signing could be the best way to continue the team’s revival by adding a dynamic edge to the lineup after he scored 10 goals and six assists in 33 games this season.

According to FBref, the 19-year-old “prodigy”—as Honigstein also called him—ranks among the top 9% of midfielders in Europe’s “big five” divisions for goals, the top 13% for assists, the top 1% for successful take-ons, the top 7% for progressive passes, and the top 11% for progressive carries per 90, making him an exceptional transitional force to propel the United midfield to the very top of European football.

Manchester United vs. Reading in the FA Cup’s Fourth Round, January 28, 2023, at Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain Casemiro of Manchester United and Wout Weghorst celebrate the team’s first goal. Phil Noble for Reuters
Bellingham’s impressive numbers could only go better with £70 million summer acquisition Casemiro anchoring the key engine.

This season, the five-time Champions League champion with Los Blancos, who has been hailed as a “diamond of a footballer” by writer John Ludden, has been a revelation. He has scored five goals and recorded seven assists in 40 appearances across all competitions.

With the Theatre of Dreams team, the 69-cap jewel averaged 3.1 tackles, 2.2 clearances, and 1.4 interceptions per game, providing Bellingham with the ideal solid foundation to display the full breadth of his dynamic talent.

Ten Hag deserves all the praise for the work he has accomplished in such a short period of time at Manchester United. The club has frequently appeared to be a shell of its former self over the past ten years, but with the addition of Bellingham, a return to the former throne may be imminent.