Manchester United identify left-back targets to replace injured Luke Shaw

United are exploring loan moves for two players with experience in the Premier League

Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella is under consideration at Old Trafford (PA Archive)

Manchester United are looking into the possibility of taking either Marc Cucurella or Sergio Reguilon on loan because of their left-back injury problems.

Erik ten Hag could be without his two senior specialist left-backs until November, with first-choice Luke Shaw joining his understudy Tyrell Malacia on the treatment table.

And they are considering the Spanish pair of Cucurella and Reguilon, who are both yet to play this season after losing their places at Chelsea and Tottenham respectively.

Cucurella had a disastrous first year at Stamford Bridge after Chelsea paid Brighton £62m for him last summer. So far this season, new manager Mauricio Pochettino has preferred to pick new vice-captain Ben Chilwell in a more advanced role and used Levi Colwill as more of a left-back, while bringing another youngster, Ian Maatsen, off the bench twice.

Cucurella was of interest to Newcastle before they bought his teammate Lewis Hall instead and Chelsea have so far failed to sell him.

Reguilon, who spent last season on loan at Atletico Madrid, is one of five left-backs in the Tottenham squad, with manager Ange Postecoglou picking Destiny Udogie for all three games and using Ben Davies and Ivan Perisic as substitutes.

United feel they do not have to sign as they believe they have good internal options in Diogo Dalot and Alvaro Fernandez but are deciding whether to bolster their squad in the last week of the transfer window.

Dalot, while right-footed and a right-back by trade, operated on the left against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, just as he did when he scored against Steve Cooper’s team in April.

The 20-year-old Spaniard Fernandez is yet to make his United debut but impressed on loan at Preston last season, making 42 appearances for the Championship club.