Ex-Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke believes his former club could do a lot worse than sign Thomas Partey from Arsenal.

The Gunners’ decision to splash put £105m on another holding midfield player in Declan Rice has prompted speculation about Partey’s future and Yorke says that, if he is not wanted by Mikel Arteta’s side, he could do a job for the Red Devils:

“Thomas Partey wouldn’t be a bad signing for Man Utd. But it depends on whether Mikel Arteta changes his formation to 4-2-3-1 – where he has two defensive midfielders, where both Declan Rice and Partey can play together. Having a player like Partey makes Man Utd or Arsenal more adaptable because they can play different positions with his qualities.”

Partey joined Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for £45m almost three years ago and he has been a key player for the London club during that time.

However, the Ghanaian international has suffered a number of injuries and, combined with Rice’s arrival, there is a feeling that he could be let go for the right price this summer.

Whether the Gunners would allow Partey to move to a direct rival, though, it is up for debate.

United could be in the market for a midfielder but they may have to offload players first

Although manager Erik ten Hag has already lost Marcel Sabitzer since the end of the last season, after the Austrian returned to Bayern Munich following his loan spell, the club still have plenty of midfielders in the first-team squad.

Scott McTominay, Fred and Donny van de Beek are all available, in addition to the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro and Christian Eriksen. It’s likely that United would consider reinforcing the midfield but only if they can get one or two (such as Fred or van de Beek) off the club’s books first.