Manchester United have been linked with a move for FC Utrecht midfielder Taylor Booth - who manager Erik ten Hag is said to be 'actively monitoring'.
The Red Devils have gone about restructuring their midfield since Ten Hag's arrival in the summer. Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba were allowed to leave the club, with Casemiro and Christian Eriksen coming in to replace them.
Injury to Eriksen in Saturday's 2-0 win over Reading in the FA Cup saw United dip into the loan market and snap up Marcel Sabitzer from Bayern Munich for the rest of the season.
Bruno Fernandes is still one of the Premier League's best midfielders and has looked back to his best this term. Fred, Scott McTominay and Donny van de Beek, who is out with injury, make up Ten Hag's options in the middle of the park.
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As improved as United are, all those players are in their mid-20s or, in the case of Eriksen and Casemiro, in their 30s. United will want to avoid a situation where all their options age at once, resulting in another dramatic overhaul.
Enter Taylor Booth. It's a name very few of you will be familiar with. Plying his trade in the Eredivisie, Booth has scored twice and registered three assists in 14 appearances this campaign.
He joined Utrecht last summer after initially being on the books of Bayern Munich. Inspired by fellow American Christian Pulisic, who became a household name playing for Borussia Dortmund, Booth decided to move to the Bundesliga in his formative years.
After growing frustrated with a lack of game time, he turned down a new contract last summer to make a go of it at Utrecht.
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Per the Daily Mail, his performances have caught the eye of Ten Hag.
The 53-year-old previously managed Utrecht before taking the Ajax job and he's monitoring Booth's progress at his former club. He'd be the fifth American to play for United and the first since Tim Howard in 2007.
Booth is already becoming a fan favourite at the Stadion Galgenwaard, even being named Eredivisie Player of the Month in November.
He's technically sound on the ball and has an eye for goal. Booth's not afraid to bring the ball out from the back, something Ten Hag insists his midfielders do with confidence.
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Booth is yet to make his full international debut but is eligible to play for the USMNT or Italy thanks to his father's heritage. He's represented the USMNT at four different age groups.
Booth was born with a condition known as torticollis, or stiff neck. It causes your neck to twist, resulting in a lack of blood flowing to your neck muscles. It required physical therapy as a youngster, something his mother discussed at length in a chat with the Bundesliga's official website.
She recalled: "It was really bad. He went to physical therapy as an infant and he screamed constantly. Sometimes the condition will cure itself, but he had it so bad that he had to do therapy. This kid had to have therapy for the first five months of his life, around the clock, and he was a crybaby who didn't like getting his neck stretched.
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"And now he's gone from needing physical therapy as a baby to being on the US National Team - and he thinks it's normal. What he doesn't realise is that there was a time when we just thought, 'I hope his lungs work and his brain works.'"
Featured Image Credit: Alamy & @USMNTblahhhh/TwitterTopics: Manchester United, Erik Ten Hag, Eredivisie
