The pivot to Robinson was flagged on Thursday by talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook, who told listeners to watch the Fulham left-back as United look for a cheaper route to solving a defensive problem that has run through the summer.
“Keep an eye on Fulham’s Antonee Robinson, the USA international,” Crook said. “The experienced Premier League campaigner would probably come a lot cheaper than Lewis Hall.”
Hall was the primary target for Michael Carrick’s side and remains United’s preferred choice on paper. Newcastle, however, are not interested in trading.
Having already banked the fees for Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimarães this window, the club sees Hall as one of the few keepers of its rebuild and has firmly rebuffed United’s approach, even at a valuation stretching towards £60m.
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Why Robinson fits the profile
Robinson turns 29 later this month and is entering the last two years of his Fulham contract, a combination that traditionally softens a selling club’s leverage.
He was named U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year in 2024 and has been a fixture in Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT squad, with his crossing and recovery pace giving Fulham one of the most productive attacking full-backs in the division.
Marco Silva, then Fulham’s manager, called him “one of the best left-backs in this league” after a 1-1 draw with Arsenal in December 2024, praising both his defensive work and his end product.
Fulham’s summer has changed shape
The Cottagers are no longer Silva’s team. The Portuguese coach left at the end of his contract and Fulham appointed Álvaro Arbeloa in early July, giving the former Real Madrid coach a three-year deal at Craven Cottage.
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Any decision on Robinson now runs through a manager who has yet to work with him competitively, and who inherits a squad still finding its shape ahead of the new campaign.
Newcastle’s stance on Hall is complicated by a similar overhaul on Tyneside. Eddie Howe left last month and the club named Matthias Jaissle as head coach on a four-year contract, with a reported compensation package to Al Ahli of more than £9m.
Jaissle taking over mid-window has hardened, rather than loosened, Newcastle’s grip on their remaining first-team assets.
Reported, not signed
Nothing in the current reporting places United and Fulham in formal talks. Crook’s line on talkSPORT amounts to a shift in the shortlist, not a bid, and no valuation for Robinson has been floated in the coverage so far.
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Fulham open their Premier League season against Tottenham on 16 August, and Arbeloa is expected to hand Robinson the No. 3 shirt for a fifth successive campaign at Craven Cottage.
