Man Utd make late enquiry for Aston Villa star Maatsen

Manchester United have made a late enquiry to sign Aston Villa left‑back Ian Maatsen, the Pacey Dutch defender who arrived from Chelsea for £37.5 million in the summer of 2024. The Red Devils hope the speed‑laden youngster can add the missing pace to a defence that currently lacks it, with the transfer window set to close next Tuesday.

United’s need for a new left‑back has become urgent after Luke Shaw remains the only regular option and Diogo Dalot is used only as an emergency backup. Ian Maatsen’s reputation as one of the fastest full‑backs in the Premier League fits Michael Carrick’s plan to inject more dynamism into the back line.

If the enquiry succeeds, United could secure Maatsen on loan or a permanent deal, giving Villa a chance to reshuffle their defensive options after replacing Lucas Digne with Matteo Ruggeri. For Villa, losing Maatsen would open a pathway for Ruggeri, while United would gain a competitor for Shaw and a potential long‑term solution.

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Report and author details

By  Matthew Guyett PM GMT+1, a Reuters reporter who writes for GiveMeSport covering Premier League and European football. He graduated from the University of Essex in 2022 with a Creative Writing degree and joined GiveMeSport as a freelancer in August 2024 after three years at Sportskeeda. Here is the background: his work has amassed over 25 million reads, including a viral story that earned 724,000 reads. Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge illustrate the story.