Manchester United are giving serious consideration to a move for Donny van de Beek, the highly regarded young Ajax and Holland midfielder.

Van de Beek has emerged as one of United’s leading transfer targets as manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer seeks to address the shortcomings in midfield that have been exacerbated by injuries to Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba.

United remain adamant that no one at the club will be pushing the panic button in the wake of a chastening 3-1 defeat to Manchester City in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final at Old Trafford on Tuesday night that deepened Solskjaer’s problems.

Solskjaer and United’s hierarchy are determined to make signings that will help usher in long-term improvement after an acceptance that the club’s strike rate in the transfer market in recent years has been far from good enough and a significant factor behind their current woes.

But the United manager is eager to bring in a midfielder this month if the right deal can be struck and believes Van de Beek is one of those that fits the bill as he aims to bring more creativity and cutting edge to the midfield.