Patrick Rees
With the Transfer Window about to slam shut, a number of rumours are hitting the market and a latest one from The Sun is claiming that Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho, is planning a shocking 11th-hour swoop for Everton’s 28-year-old full-back, Seamus Coleman.
It is not the first time that the Irishman is linked with the Red Devils, but the fact that Mourinho do not really have too many reliable options on the spot might turn the strides. Of course, they do have Matteo Darmian, but the Italian is, right at this very moment, hasn’t been able to prove his worth. He is a decent player, but his contribution compared to Coleman is nowhere near.
Furthermore, Coleman, who is set to make his 200th league appearance for the Toffees against Stoke on Wednesday evening, is one of the best and underrated full-backs in the Premier League and his tally of four goals and one assist in 19 league games certainly is an impressive figure. Besides, Coleman knows the Premier League through and through as he has been playing in the league since his move from Sligo Rovers in 2009.
The Devils do have a prospect for the future in Timothy Fosu-Mensah, but the young Dutch star is far from being a first team regular, hence making a move for Coleman does make sense. The 28-year-old Evertonian is known for his brilliant no-nonsense defending and that certainly is what Mourinho wants from his players.
With United competing in four different competitions, they will do good with a decent depth and Coleman will bring exactly that. But there might be a problem regarding the starting berth as the Irishman would want a regular first team football, while right at this very moment Antonio Valencia is undroppable for Manchester United.
The Ecuadorian struggles in the final third sometimes, but his physical and power approach makes him one of the best right backs in the league right now. He surely isn’t getting enough credit for his doings, but that isn’t bothering him. So all-in-all, bringing Coleman would be a good choice, but at the same time, it may create a chaos in the dressing room and also a severe selection headache for the manager.
Besides all of this, Valencia recently signed a new one-year deal with the club hence it is all but certain that Mourinho sees him as a viable option for at least one more year. So it is fair to say that this might be nothing but a deadline day rumour and even the player came and spoke of it and went on to say that he is all focused about the upcoming clash:
“It is that time of year.
“I haven’t heard about the story. I am preparing for a game on Wednesday and that is all I am concentrating on.”
