Man Utd Back to Ajax for Winger Hunt: Godts the Affordable Antidote to Antony Flop?

Picture this: Manchester United dipping their toes back into the Ajax pool for a winger. Last time? Antony for a wallet-draining £82m (potentially £86m). Result? A loan to Real Betis for peanuts. But fear not, Reds fans – this one's got a different vibe.

The club are plotting a summer shake-up, with midfield the priority but a right-footed inverted left winger on the shopping list. Assistant boss Michael Carrick let slip in a presser that the current options – think Bryan Mbeumo, Amad Diallo (both lefties), and Matheus Cunha (no natural wide man) – aren't quite cutting it.

Enter Yan Diomande... And Why He's a Pipe Dream

Enter stage left: Yan Diomande, the RB Leipzig teen sensation. At 19, he's the dream profile, slicing in from the left on his right peg. Problem? A staggering £86m tag and every big club in Europe circling like vultures.

United know it's a long shot. So, they're scouting backups, and one name's bubbling up: Mika Godts. As reported by Sky Sport Switzerland's Sacha Tavolieri on X, the Reds have made official contact with Ajax to sniff out deal terms for the 20-year-old Belgian.

Tavolieri, a go-to guy for Belgian transfer goss, dropped: United have kicked off club-to-club chats, with Godts tipped as a hot property set to bolt Ajax next summer.

Who the Heck is Mika Godts?

Born in Leuven, Godts cut his teeth at Anderlecht's academy before Genk snapped him up in 2020. Ajax nicked him for a bargain €1m in January 2023, and boom – first-team star by last season.

This campaign? The lad's on fire: 14 goals and 11 assists in 35 games across all comps. In the Eredivisie alone, it's 14 goals and 9 assists. At €25m market value (Ajax might push higher), he's a steal compared to Diomande.

Lionel Messi even name-checked him in a top-10 young talents list earlier this season. Not bad for a kid with over 100 senior appearances already. Right-footed, loves the left flank – ticks United's boxes.

Risks? We've Got Form on That

Hold your horses, though. Ajax links haven't always ended fairy-tale style at Old Trafford. And Dutch scribe Valentijn Driessen at De Telegraaf threw cold water on similar hype (Liverpool links back in February).

"He's Ajax's best right now," Driessen said, but flagged a squandered chance against NEC. "Ceiling's high, above Eredivisie level, but he needs growth. Don't chuck him into the Prem yet – look at Cody Gakpo's struggles."

Fair shout. The step up from Dutch football to the Premier League meat grinder is brutal. Godts might dazzle in Amsterdam, but can he handle the Old Trafford pressure cooker?

Still, at a fraction of Diomande or Antony prices, he's low-risk, high-reward. United need wide creativity – Rashford's form dips, Garnacho's raw. If INEOS greenlight it, Godts could be the smart punt.

Ajax stand to bank massive profit on their €1m investment. United? A fresh injection of youth and flair without mortgaging the stadium. Watch this space – summer's heating up, and the winger chase is just getting saucy.