The rumour mills have been going abuzz ever since Jose Mourinho announced that a fourth signing will be done this summer, and with Manchester United in dire need of a good, reliable central midfielder, the media has been incessantly linking many players to a move at Old Trafford. However, out of the numerous  rumours, 3 names have consistently made it to the top of the list, these 3 being the french triumvirate of Paul Pogba, N Golo Kante and Blaise Matuidi. In this article, I try to statistically determine who might be the best fit for us:

1. N’Golo Kante

With 38 appearances for Leicester City last season, Kante turned out to be one of the English league’s best midfielders last season and had a huge hand in guiding the Foxes  to the title. The former Caens player scored 1 goal and created 30 chances, but what stood out was his ability to position himself and intercept passes. He registered a record breaking 22 interceptions in one game, and won 46% of his duels. Moreover, his passing is also good, even under pressure, as he has an average passing accuracy of 82%. Although he did not make much of a mark in the Euros, yet that did not undermine the interest of several big clubs, including United.

2. Paul Pogba

The Frenchman is probably the most likely of the three to join us, and twitter has been afloat of Juventus having accepted a total bid of 120 million pounds for United’s “Prodigal Son”. Although the sum has raised loads of eyebrows, yet I believe it is going to be a worthy investment. At 23 years of age, he has already won more titles than many seasoned footballers. Last season, he made 35 appearances for the Old Lady in Serie A, scoring 8 goals, creating 54 chances and having a passing accuracy of 83%. He is a creative player, likes to dribble a lot and goes full blood in his challenges, and is exactly the kind of midfield enforcer we could do with right now.

3. Blaise Matuidi

There are reports that if the Pogba deal doesn’t go through, United might submit a 30 million pound for the PSG midfielder. He made 31 appearances in the Ligue 1 last season, scoring 4 times and creating 26 chances. His passing is his real strength, though, especially his short passes, as shown by the fact that he has a passing accuracy of 92%. Although he is the least technically gifted among the three, his energy and physicality makes him a real force to reckon with.

FAN VERDICT:

Although all 3 of them could turn out to be excellent choices, yet I would personally go for Pogba no matter how much he costs. Even if Real Madrid does come for him after 2 or 3 seasons, I believe we will recover all of our investments and even win significant trophies with him in the centre of the park.