Patrick Rees
Since Sir Alex Ferguson has left, problems for Manchester United have been never ending since then. Right at this very moment, United are without Eric Bailly, Chris Smalling, Luke Shaw and Antonio Valencia and to overcome the issue, Manchester United have made the 23-year-old PSG defender Serge Aurier their prime defensive target according to the Mirror.
The same source has stated that Untied scouts watched the 23-year-old play for Ivory Coast against France last Tuesday and if impressed, he could be a subject of a bidding war, as the right-back is having his issues with the French club and could be lured away quite easily.
Aurier, who costs PSG £18million, could be a great signing for Manchester United if his indisciplinary acts are not taken into the consideration. The former Toulouse man was banned from the first team last season after he insulted PSG’s then manager Laurent Blanc. Not just that, he was also given a two-month prison sentence after he assaulted a policeman and that surely has degraded his reputation in the sport.
There are no doubts about his quality as the full-back is one of the best players in his positions, but what the PSG bad boy lacks is discipline. The 23-year-old speedster would be a great gamble, but given how Mourinho manages his players, it will be an interesting sight to see how the Portuguese tactician deals with Aurier should he sign for the Devils.
This is no secret that even though Valencia has been performing with a swag, he is not getting any younger. Furthermore, Matteo Darmian still hasn’t lived up to the expectations and rumours regarding him moving back to Italy are getting stronger and stronger every day. Then United are left with the young Timothy Fosu-Mensah, who surely isn’t ready to take the first team spot right away, hence, Aurier would be a worthy option to consider.
Known for his physical strength, the Ivorian would not take much time to adjust to the Premier League and his awareness in the game would be a great gift for the ‘soft’ Manchester United defence. Former Ivory Coast boss Sabri Lamouchi said that he could easily walk into the first team of any Premier League club. He told L’Equipe:
“If you were to put him tomorrow in Arsenal’s, Chelsea’s or Manchester United’s team, he would start.
“An explosive, powerful and quick full-back is exceptional, there aren’t many on the market. He’s not at his best yet, either.”
So, Why not Manchester United?
