Abhishek Nandwani
Five midfielders Zinedine Zidane would love to sign for Manchester United if he replaces Ole
Former Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane is tipped to sign for Manchester United as the club looks to sack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The Red Devils have been struggling under Ole off late and the pressure is mounting on the Norwegian after he suffered a humiliating 2-0 loss to their neighbours Manchester City while they were thumped 5-0 by Liverpool a fortnight ago.
While most experts and fans feel Ole has signed ideal players for the squad on the whole, the defensive midfield position remains a concern due to a lack of a specialist defensive midfielder in the squad.
United’s problem is that they need a defensive midfielder and they need it badly. Fred and Scott McTominay have been average, while age is catching up with Nemanja Matic.
So if Zidane succeeds Ole in the near future – he will surely be addressing this area first up. Let’s see which five midfielders he can sign at Old Trafford that will improve the quality of football on the pitch.
Toni Kroos: According to Kroos‘ agent he almost signed for Man United in 2014 when David Moyes was in-charge but things changed after the sacking of the Scottish manager. Zidane has previously worked with the German midfielder and he is exactly what United need at the moment. He is an engine in the middle of the park, who never gets tired. Although age (31) might be a problem, he is surely a player who is a double upgrade on United’s current DMs. His contract with Real Madrid is till 2023 and if Frenchman takes over as a coach, he might be tempted to go all out for the World Cup winner.
Declan Rice: Rice is at the top of the priority list of most of the clubs at the moment including United and Chelsea. He is having an extraordinary season with West Ham United, where he is giving stand-out performances week in and week out. At 22, he is already a regular with the England national team already. Rice is a perfect No.6 that the Devils are looking for, who can drop in between the center-backs to form a back three. His plus point will be that he can also do all the dirty in the center of the park along with Paul Pogba, who has missed someone like N’golo Kante at the club level.
Wilfred Ndidi: Ndidi has been a revelation for Leicester City as a lone defensive midfielder. The plus point with Ndidi is his versatility – he can also be used as a CB. And with United center backs Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire struggling with injuries of late – Ndidi can be a very cunning buy for Ole Trafford management. The biggest problem going for Ndidi could be the money that Leicester would demand. Leicester are a tough nut to crack when it comes to transfer negotiations and United already got a taste of that when they signed Maguire from them.
Ruben Neves: The Wolves midfielder Neves was linked with Manchester United throughout the summer but transfer never materialised. At 22, he fits the profile as he is young and comes in with good Premier League experience as well. Neves offers something United midfield is lacking at the moment. Fred and McTominay offer energy but there is no control – which Portuguese will offer from the word go. The midfielder has the ability to keep and use the ball in a perfect way. Adding to that he loves to break down deep-lying defences and not to forget he is really good when it comes to shooting from long range.
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Aurelien Tchouameni: The young midfielder is one of the hottest properties in Europe. From Manchester United to Real Madrid every top club wants to have him and rightly so. Alongside his stunning Ligue 1 form for Monaco, Tchouameni’s recent performances for the French national team have certified his status as one of our continent’s brightest prospects. Tchouameni would complete United’s midfield along with Pogba and Bruno Fernandes as his signing would add necessary balance to the team. Deep lying playmaker who loves to make runs forward and not to forget he is strong with the head too.
