Manchester United scouts have had watched Sporting’s highly rated central midfielder William Carvalho in the last 18 months or so probably more than any other players they’ve scouted.

The 22-year-old has had a phenomenal season under his belt. He was targeted by several European heavyweights but the Portuguese midfielder seemed destined to join Manchester United, with English press even going further to claim ‘deal has been done’.

However, the situation has changed. Manchester United will be soon appointing Louis van Gaal as their new manager and the Dutchman doesn’t include him in his long list of players, he wishes to bring in at Old Trafford.

Yesterday, The Guardian listed the names of the players Van Gaal wants to bring in at Old Trafford. Carvalho’s name wasn’t mentioned anywhere and now Portuguese newspaper Record is speculating that United’s interest in the player has died down.

This might open the door for Liverpool, who are closely monitoring his situation as well. The Reds need a central midfielder in the summer, but unless Sporting reduces his transfer value, frankly speaking, not a single club would gamble on him, including Liverpool.

Sporting want to keep him for another year, in the hope his market value will rise, but they must understand the trick can back fire as well (Manchester United, the best example). It will be interesting to see whether Liverpool make any formal move for the midfielder and how Sporting reacts to it.