Man Utd target next David Beckham

Stuart Telford

• 9 Apr 2023 10:53 BST
• 3 min read

Manchester United are reportedly interested in signing James Ward-Prowse from Southampton next summer, with the free-kick specialist closing in on David Beckham's Premier League record.

Erik ten Hag won six major honours as Ajax manager using a 4-3-3 formation before arriving at Man Utd last summer, and it is understood he wants more players that would fit a similar system next summer.

Whilst that could be good news for Scott McTominay and bad news for a natural No.10 like Bruno Fernandes, a source close to the situation told Football Insider that Ten Hag was "hell-bent" on bolstering his midfield in the next transfer window.

READ: Why Man Utd want to SELL Bruno Fernandes this summer

Ward-Prowse is on such player who would fit Ten hag's style - a bustling box-to-box midfielder who also happens to be perhaps the best set-piece specialist in the Premier League.

'A really good signing for United'

"Obviously if you have someone like Ward-Prowse providing the ammunition for your forwards it'll only add to their firepower and it could be a real good signing for United," said transfer correspondent Pete O'Rourke.

"That's the case for anybody else as well, because he's a proven Premier League player and as I said his set-piece deliveries will definitely add more goals to anybody who gets him."

READ: What is the transfer value of Man Utd & Arsenal target James Ward-Prowse?

Ward Prowse has 53 goals and 51 assists in his Southampton career with 17 of those goals having been scored directly from free-kicks. With one more, he will match the Premier League record 18 Beckham managed across his 11 years in Man Utd's first team.

Ward-Prowse is valued at €40.1 million by FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm, and still has three years to run on his deal at St Mary's, so he wouldn't come cheap.

Across town, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola previously described Ward-Prowse as "the best free-kick taker in the world."

"Southampton have the best free-kick taker I have ever seen, or at least he is in the world right now," he said of the England international last January.

"He's so good that maybe you miss a little bit of the footballer player. He's a team player of great quality, without the ball and with the ball."