Man Utd could move major step closer to third summer transfer in next few hours | Football | Sport

The Championship play-off final today could determine midfielder Toby Collyer’s future. The Manchester United prospect has spent the latter half of the campaign on loan at Hull City, who meet Middlesbrough at Wembley Stadium. The prestigious clash for Premier League promotion has already captured the spotlight. Southampton were removed from the fixture due to Spygate and substituted by Boro on Tuesday.

Hull, who overcame Millwall in the play-off semi-finals, will be hoping to defeat their new adversaries and secure a top-flight return for the first time since 2017. Should the Tigers reach the Premier League, Hull may be keen to prolong United loanee Collyer’s stay at the club. United have already announced two departures ahead of the transfer window as manager Michael Carrick prepares for a hectic summer. Casemiro is poised to depart the club at the conclusion of his contract, while Rasmus Hojlund‘s spell at Napoli has been made permanent after the Italian side secured Champions League qualification.

It has been a challenging campaign for Collyer, who was brought back from an earlier injury-plagued loan spell at West Bromwich Albion in January. The 22-year-old has since featured five times for Hull but has been absent since April after sustaining an injury during training.

Collyer departed United in pursuit of consistent playing opportunities. While fitness concerns have hampered him from securing that this season, linking up with newly-promoted Hull would enable the defensive midfielder to realise a significant ambition.

“Everyone wants to play for Man United. That’s my main goal,” Collyer told The Athletic. “But if not, just be playing in the Premier League as an established player.”

A play-off final triumph for Hull would bring Collyer a step nearer to that aspiration, whether through a permanent transfer or a second loan spell. The Championship outfit demonstrated their appreciation for the United academy product by moving swiftly after he was recalled from West Brom.

On his choice to join Hull, Collyer said: “It was a no-brainer. Hull showed interest in the summer and I had to make a tough decision to say no. I felt they really wanted me by coming back.”

Collyer made 13 appearances for United last season but opted to gain experience elsewhere. While he has not enjoyed the playing time he would have anticipated in the Championship, the United loanee made a favourable impression in his most recent appearance against Coventry City.

“He showed that he’s a Man United player,” Hull boss Sergej Jakirovic said. “This is his first start in many months. It was a great moment to put him in, and he can now show he is a player with great potential and talent.”

Hull are just one match away from the Premier League and will need to strengthen their squad in the summer transfer window should they prevail at Wembley. Securing Collyer as a top-flight club would enable the midfielder to demonstrate his capabilities to the Tigers on an even grander platform.