Manchester United-linked Porto star Alex Telles has this weekend broken his silence on the widespread speculation surrounding his future.
Telles targeted
Recent weeks have of course seen reports rampant that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and co. are eyeing up reinforcements at left-back.
This comes with the left-hand side of Man United’s backline widely regarded as an area of weakness in the club’s squad.
Long-time first-choice Luke Shaw impressed in a more central role over the 2nd half of last season, leading to suggestions that the Englishman’s long-term future may in fact lie as part of a 3-man defensive unit.
Such a change, in turn, would leave Brandon Williams as the only natural senior left-back option at the disposal of Solskjaer.
Williams, whilst unquestionably talented, just turned 20 years of age, and cannot yet be trusted with an undisputed starting berth week-in, week-out.
The addition of a new, more experienced option to cover the Red Devils’ left-hand flank would therefore appear a logical move.
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – JULY 09: Brandon Williams of Manchester United looks on during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Manchester United at Villa Park on July 09, 2020 in Birmingham, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Alex Livesey – Danehouse/Getty Images)
Until recently, the stopper most persistently linked with filling this role had been Real Madrid’s Sergio Reguilon.
The Spanish international, however, has since of course sealed a move to United’s Premier League rivals, Tottenham.
As such, in turn, recent days have seen yet another stopper widely tipped to make the move to Old Trafford.
The individual in question? Alex Telles.
Porto star Telles has long stood as one of the most offensively gifted full-backs in Europe.
However, having now entered the final year of his contract at the Estádio do Dragão, the widespread assumption is that, before the close of the summer window, the Brazilian will be on the move.
Manchester United, meanwhile, are this week thought to have positioned themselves firmly in the hunt for his signature, with some outlets having gone as far as to claim that a contract agreement between the two parties has already been reached:
🔴🔴 Alex Telles has agreed a 5-year contract with Manchester United – Premier League club will now seek to agree a fee with FC Porto. PSG are also there, still thinking about whether or not to make a concrete move.
— Mohamed Bouhafsi (@mohamedbouhafsi) September 18, 2020
‘Focus on my job’
And, as outlined above, amid the rampant speculation surrounding his future, Telles himself was this weekend drawn on the rumours that he could be set for an imminent Old Trafford switch.
Speaking during a post-match interview on the back of Porto’s 3-1 win over Braga (during which he scored twice), the 27-year-old, though, was keen to keep his cards close to his chest:
‘I’m a guy who focuses a lot on work, people believe what they want, say what they want in the newspapers, but the most important thing is to be focused on my work,’ Telles explained to Sport TV.
‘You know that and so do my teammates, whatever happens, I’m focused on the club, I’m here, I’m playing.’
When pressed further on the situation, the Porto standout added:
‘I have people who work for me, I just have to focus on what my job is.’
‘If I knew anything, I wouldn’t need to have people working for me. I have people who take care of that and I have to focus on my work.’
“I have people who work for me, I just have to focus on what my job is.” #mufc https://t.co/FCStpRD7kG
— Man United News (@ManUtdMEN) September 20, 2020
