Manchester United are once again rebuilding, and have been linked to a multitude of players. The shortlist, however, feels limited.
The market this year feels weaker than previous years. Throw in that Manchester United failed to qualify for next season’s Champions League, and the pool of players they can sign becomes even smaller.
This is for a number of reasons, one of them being that top players are being pursued by teams that are simply much better than United right now and cannot be pulled towards Old Trafford from these teams such as Real Madrid’s signing of Aurelien Tchouaméni.
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Another is the financial implications of failing to qualify for said competition, which post-COVID is even greater given economic struggles across football over the last couple of years.
Still, it feels like despite the limited pool United could yet further expand the range of names they are looking at with some smarter scouting decisions.
One of the strongest positional links United have had is a versatile forward, something Erik ten Hag is particularly keen on. If Cristiano Ronaldo departs, the need for one becomes even greater.
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The most notable link has been Antony, who has a £70 million price tag. This is a big investment to make on a player who would not be a guaranteed success, a gamble in many ways.
As an alternative versatile forward signing, a slightly out of the box suggestion who is Premier League proven, would not be costly and brings many good qualities to the squad is Leandro Trossard.
Brighton & Hove Albion’s Belgian winger is the very definition of ‘versatile’. Since arriving on the south coast in 2019, the Belgium international has lined up as a wingback, central midfielder, attacking midfielder, wide forward and as a striker both in a two and on his own.
His footballing intelligence and ability to use both feet effectively alongside his team-first mentality has allowed him to excel in all of these roles.
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That mentality is part of what has made him one of Brighton’s best and most important players since joining. It also saw him captain his previous club, Genk, on multiple occasions during their title-winning 2018/19 season, where he put up 15 goal contributions in 22 starts in the league.
So how does he translate to United tactically? For the last three seasons, Trossard has been playing under Graham Potter, who is a possession based manager that implements a high press out of possession.
Out of possession, the 27-year-old is an excellent presser within the Seagulls’ unit, and this would be of great value to United as Ten Hag looks to bring his high-pressing, proactive style of play to the Theatre of Dreams.
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Trossard’s technical quality and intelligent decision making in possession has seen him become a vital cog in Potter’s side, in many ways even the heartbeat of their attack.
His ability to consistently retain possession in tighter spaces and keep the ball moving quickly was crucial to Brighton’s possession play.
His numbers may appear very average, and whilst he is not a high volume goal contributor like Bruno Fernandes is for United, Trossard should not be slept on.
In his time at Brighton he has scored against each of the ‘big six’ sides, most recently wowing against Manchester United as he put up a goal and two assists in Brighton’s 4-0 demolition of the Red Devils during their last meeting.
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When playing for the Belgian Red Devils, Trossard has attained 19 caps and scored 5 goals for his country. He was part of their Euro 2020 squad and just last month scored two in a 6-1 victory over Poland.
He may not be a big name, but as United have seen in recent years big names aren’t always the answer. Leandro Trossard would be inexpensive, particularly with his contract expiring next year, and brings experience of playing in a relatively similar tactical system.
He offers cover across a multitude of midfield and attacking positions, has good leadership qualities and will undoubtedly look to compete and push his positional competitors as far as they can go, something which is never unwelcome in a top squad, and aged just 27 can still offer United a few years of good quality service.
All in all, this is a low-risk signing with little to no drawbacks that brings much needed qualities into Manchester United’s squad. It may not be the glamorous signing everybody dreams of, but it’s certainly one that those in charge at Carrington should explore.
Topics: Manchester United, Manchester United Transfer News & Rumours, Erik Ten Hag, Football
Yusuf Haq