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Manchester United have been urged to consider a move for Bournemouth full-back Alex Jimenez as a potential upgrade on Diogo Dalot. Dalot’s long spell at Old Trafford has been framed as a symbol of the club’s post-Sir Alex Ferguson shortcomings, despite his reliability. Jimenez, on loan from AC Milan, is nearing the appearance trigger for a £16m permanent deal and has impressed with pace and ball-carrying.
Man United told Bournemouth’s Alex Jimenez offers upgrade on Dalot
Diogo Dalot drew attention in Saturday’s Manchester derby after avoiding a red card for a studs-up challenge on Jeremy Doku. The moment put a spotlight on a player who has largely stayed out of the headlines during a lengthy spell at Manchester United. Dalot, signed under Jose Mourinho in 2018, has now been at Old Trafford for seven-and-a-half years and has made 232 appearances.
Dalot’s dependability has been highlighted as a positive amid frequent fluctuations in form from a long list of United team-mates across multiple managerial regimes. The right-back has played under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ralf Rangnick, Erik ten Hag, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ruben Amorim, and is now into a second stint working under Michael Carrick. Only Luke Shaw has been at the club longer, with Dalot also described as the 23rd longest-serving Premier League player.
An alternative view presented is that Dalot’s longevity reflects United’s post-Sir Alex Ferguson inadequacy, with the suggestion that few Premier League managers would actively pursue him over their current options. Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola was cited as an example, with the claim he would not swap Dalot for Alex Jimenez, the 20-year-old currently on loan at Bournemouth from AC Milan and close to turning that deal into a permanent £16m move.
Jimenez is four starts away from meeting an 18-game requirement that would trigger the end-of-season transfer. While he has yet to score in 52 senior matches for Milan and Bournemouth and has three assists, he has been praised for speed, acceleration and his ability to drive his team up the pitch with the ball. His midfield surge and key pass helped create Eli Junior Kroupi’s equaliser in Bournemouth’s 4-4 draw at Old Trafford in December, and he has also been used on the right wing, a sign Iraola trusts his attacking output.
The piece also pointed to Jimenez’s defensive work, citing a recent match in which Kaoru Mitoma “barely had sniff” for Brighton, and described Jimenez repeatedly getting the better of him. While United were said to have convinced Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha to join them in the summer, it added that other targets, such as Antoine Semenyo, opted for “a better, more stable football club,” with Amorim denied the funds from a Semenyo move. The argument concludes that United’s best route to improvement is targeting high-ceiling, unheralded players, with Jimenez presented as one such option.
