Anwar El Ghazi, formerly of Aston Villa, is reportedly Erik ten Hag’s top target to fix Manchester United’s issues in the attacking midfield.

After a series of events over the past few days, United are looking rather strong in the position. While the future of Jadon Sancho is uncertain after the England international got into an argument with Ten Hag, £86 million wideout Antony is now on leave of absence.

The transfer window for the Premier League has closed, leaving clubs with few options for strengthening their rosters beyond the free agent market. United’s CEO, though, has a personal relationship with El Ghazi.

El Ghazi, a product of the Ajax youth system, faced off against Ten Hag’s Utrecht while on the roster of the Amsterdam club. The Dutch international caps he won as a youth established him as one of the country’s best young talents, but he left the Johan Cruijff ArenA before Ten Hag took over in 2017.

The winger spent 18 months with Lille before leaving on loan to assist Aston Villa reach the Premier League in 2019. After another three years at Villa Park (including an Everton loan), he signed for PSV Eindhoven, but in September, the Dutch club announced that his contract had been canceled.

Saudi Arabia reportedly has an interest in El Ghazi. However, if he is offered a return to the Premier League, he may still choose United.

“PSV and Anwar El Ghazi would like to announce that they have reached an agreement to dissolve the player’s contract by mutual consent,” said the PSV statement released on September 4. The TOTO KNVB Cup and the Johan Cruyff Shield were both won by Anwar El Ghazi.

The attacker moved to PSV last year from Aston Villa. In 33 games with PSV across all competitions, he scored nine goals and added two assists. The team is excited about his future success.

United have been without Mason Mount for a while now, adding to the problems with Antony and Sancho. The summer signing was injured in August, missing England’s games against Ukraine and Scotland.

After the international break, United will face Brighton, and it would be interesting to see whether Ten Hag decides to reinstate Sancho into the starting lineup. After the manager said the former Borussia Dortmund player wasn’t involved in the loss to Arsenal because of his training, the player fired back, and now there are rumors the 23-year-old may leave in the winter.

“I have conducted myself in training very well this week,” Sancho remarked after the loss in North London. I think there are other causes for this situation that I won’t get into; it’s not fair that I’ve been made a scapegoat for so long. Football is my passion, and all I want to do is help my team win.