Manchester United are still hoping to pursue a deal for Anderlecht star Leander Dendoncker, according to reports.

The defensive midfielder, rated at around £30million, has been on United's radar for a while.

Belgian newspaper Het Belang Van Limburg claim that Jose Mourinho will look to make a move in the near future.

Dendoncker, 22, was reportedly in talks with United over the summer but the move failed to materialise.

Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Everton were also linked with a move this year.

Young in contention for United return

Young could make his long-awaited United return on Tuesday night (
Image:
REUTERS)

Ashley Young is in contention to return for Manchester United for the first time since May in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Young arrived at the Lowry Hotel with the United squad on Monday night ahead of the game against Basel, four months after he suffered a groin injury against Celta Vigo in the Europa League semi-final second leg, report the Manchester Evening News.

Luke Shaw trained with the United first-team on Monday afternoon but was not among the squad which checked in at their pre-match base.

Eric Bailly and Phil Jones serve the last match of their European suspensions against Basel, while Scott McTominay was also not spotted in the pre-match party.

Victor Lindelof is expected to come into the centre of defence in Bailly and Jones' absence.

De Gea: Champions League absence haunted players

De Gea is happy to be back in the Champions League (
Image:
Alex Morton)

David De Gea has admitted Manchester United 's players hated watching the Champions League from the outside.

United make their return to the UEFA's top table on Tuesday night, 644 days after their last involvement in European football's No1 club competition.

The Red Devils finished just sixth last season but won the Europa League final to seal their return to the Champions League, having had to sit it out twice in the last three years.

And keeper De Gea revealed how Jose Mourinho's players found it tough watching the tournament on TV last term as they prepared for Thursday night action in the Europa League.

“It was hard to watch Champions League games on TV,” admitted De Gea. “For a club like Manchester United not to be in those games it was hard.

“But now we're back and we're motivated to win Champions League games and to bring the Champions League back to Old Trafford for the fans. To do that, we need to play our best football in these games."

Read more from De Gea here.