Pranav Nair
Manchester United wary of making a move for Ousmane Dembele
According to Spanish publication Sport (h/t Express), Manchester United have reservations about making a move for Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele.
United’s primary transfer target remains Jadon Sancho with the club keen to bring in a right-winger this summer. However, negotiations for the 20-year-old have hit a snag with Borussia Dortmund revealing that they expect Sancho to stay put.
Dembele, who could be an alternative, has a lot going in his favour and also against him. To bring up the pros, United retain faith that the speed merchant could yet become one of the best players in the world.
He looked to be doing just that when he made his big-money move to Barcelona in 2017. Although he has shown flashes of brilliance, it has become few and far between.
The major cause for this is his abysmal injury record. Dembele has missed 80 games due to injury during his three years at the club.
During the same time, he has made 74 appearances while scoring 19 goals and assisting 17. The fact that he has missed more games than he has played is an extremely troubling statistic.
According to the report, United feel they will be making a huge gamble betting on the Frenchman given his fitness concerns. Despite his potential, Dembele will be next to useless if we cannot put him on the pitch. United’s caution is well placed.
Some of the other players United are considering include Bayern Munich winger Kinglsey Coman, Barcelona wonderkid Ansu Fati, and Juventus star Douglas Costa. (h/t Express)
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There is no debate that when on song, Dembele is one of the most devastating players on the flank. However, getting his fitness levels up remains a challenge. United need to bring in a number of replacements to challenge at the top again.
Bringing in an injury-prone player will de detrimental to our rebuild. United are better off looking elsewhere.
