Bruno Fernandes has already told Man Utd why they must hijack Liverpool's move for Goncalo Inacio

Bruno Fernandes has already said why Manchester United must move for Goncalo Inacio ahead of Liverpool.

A dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over Aston Villa under the watchful eye of Ineos sporting director Sir Dave Brailsford on Tuesday has raised spirits around Old Trafford ahead of the January transfer window.

Despite Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s 25 per cent investment in United likely to take six to eight weeks to be ratified by the Premier League, Erik ten Hag’s squad would benefit from a busy January window.

United may particularly need reinforcements at centre-back, with Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof and Raphael Varane having all been unavailable at various points in recent months.

In turn, The Mirror has claimed the club may look to bring in a central defender next month, with Sporting star Inacio reportedly among a four-player shortlist.

However, the five-cap Portugal international, who reportedly has a £52 million release clause, has also been linked with a move to Liverpool by Portuguese outlet Jornal de Noticias (via Paisley Gates).

Liverpool themselves have injury issues with no fit left-back at present. Joe Gomez, a natural centre-back, is effectively the backup for both full-back roles while Andy Robertson recovers from a shoulder injury, meaning there is also a lack of cover for Virgil van Dijk.

But United skipper Fernandes is one person likely to be keen on United pushing for Inacio ahead of their Premier League rivals.

The 29-year-old played with Inacio when the latter was breaking into the first-team at Sporting. At the time Fernandes compared the youngster to no-nonsense veteran French centre-back Jeremy Mathieu.

Speaking to Record, Fernandes said back in December 2019: “But there is another young centre-back that I really like. Left-footed - I've talked about him several times. Gonçalo Inácio.

“He is a player who, if he comes to train with us one day, could learn a lot from Mathieu.

“We are talking about players with different builds, but their style of play is very similar.”

Topics: Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United, Sporting CP, Sporting Lisbon, Transfers, Liverpool

Chris Byfield

Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.