Javier Aguirre names his squad for El Tri in advance of October international window
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The American defender helped keep the Red Devils in a shock draw at Selhurst Park
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Over the years, Manchester United have produced some truly fantastic players in their famed Carrington academy. However, they have a special knack for producing some of the most talented midfielders in football history.
This dates right back to the Busby Babes, when one of the most exciting players, Duncan Edwards, played 177 times for the first team, before tragically passing away in the Munich Air Disaster.
The likes of Paul Scholes, one of the greatest midfielders ever to play the game, also came through United’s academy. Scholes was part of the legendary Class of ‘92, along with the likes of Gary Neville and David Beckham.
The former England international played 716 times for United, scoring 155 goals and assisting 81, but he was much more than that. Scholes was a master on the ball and had the most spectacular passing ability, able to pick passes most players can’t even see.
Most recently, Kobbie Mainoo is the midfielder breaking into United’s first team. Though only 19 years old, he has played 28 games for the Red Devils this season and has not looked out of place once. He seems set to go to Euro 2024 with England in the summer.
However, there is one Carrington midfielder who has had two spells at United, who splits opinion as to whether he was a success at Old Trafford or not.
The player in question here is World Cup winner Paul Pogba. The former United man is currently serving a suspension for taking a banned substance, although he is contracted to Juventus, after returning for free two summers ago.
Pogba’s time at United certainly causes debate as to whether he was worth the money they spent to resign him in 2016, a then-world record fee of £89m. The midfielder's 233 games for the club, which included seven in his first spell, yielded 39 goals and 48 assists, as well as two trophies, the Europa League and the Carabao Cup.
Despite his large fee and his output, there is little disputing Pogba’s pure grace and elegance as a midfielder. Sadly, he was often been misprofiled and played as a number six, yet in reality, his best actions all came further up the pitch.
He played his best football at United under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, playing 101 times for him, scoring 17 goals and assisting 23. He often played on the left wing later in the Norweigan’s reign and thrived in that role.
Pogba is one of the silkiest dribblers of the modern day, despite his tall frame, which was actually a benefit, helping him shift defenders away from him with ease. According to Fbref, he averaged 48.16 carries per 90 minutes in the 2020/21 Premier League season, ranking him in the top 14% of midfielders.
Not only that, the Frenchman is sublime with the ball at his feet, capable of playing 50 or 60-yard passes which always find its desired target. In the same season, Pogba played 1.95 switches per 90 minutes, which ranked him in the top 1%, and played 6.26 final third passes per 90 minutes, ranking him in the top 13%.
Aerially, the former United man is superb, and that season, won 2.61 aerial duels per 90 minutes, ranking him in the top 4%, as well as making 7.02 ball recoveries per 90 minutes. Whilst the defensive side of his game is not as good as the attacking side, he is still a more than capable defender, and his height is part of the reason why he was shoehorned into playing as a number 6.
Sadly, United have never really replaced Pogba, yet a midfielder of his profile is what is missing from their squad. However, the answer could well lie in the Bundesliga 2, Germany’s second division, namely Assan Ouedraogo.
According to Sky Sports in Germany, United have “scouted him from abroad for the game against Düsseldorf”, meaning there is certainly an interest there.
They would no doubt face competition from other clubs for Ouedraogo, with the likes of Atalanta, VfB Stuttgart, Werder Bremen and TSG Hoffenheim also thought to be interested.
Should United wish to bring Ouedraogo to the club this summer, they would have to pay a fairly nominal fee, specifically £17.1m. According to reporter Florian Plettenberg, the youngster has a release clause of this value in his contract.
Ouedraogo is a 17-year-old midfielder currently playing for German giants Schalke. He has impressed in his debut season of professional football, playing 15 times, scoring and assisting twice each.
Like Pogba, he is a lanky midfielder, yet graceful on the ball. He was described by football analyst Ben Mattinson on X as a "frightening" player who is a “great ball carrier” with “quick feet for someone standing at 191cm”.
According to Fbref, Ouedraogo averages 2.18 progressive carries per 90 minutes, and 1.03 carries into the final third per 90 minutes, which rank him in the top 15% and 3% amongst midfielders respectively. He is also good in the air, with an average aerial duel win rate of 1.41 per 90 minutes, which places him in the 77th percentile.
As far as Pogba replacements go, perhaps Manchester United should look no further, given their extremely similar skills. However, the Red Devils might well consider this summer the ideal time to replace Casemiro, who looks a shadow of his former self.
The German youngster could well prove to be the replacement for Casemiro if the Brazilian leaves. Indeed, if United decide to sign him with this in mind, they must be careful though.
As Mattinson explained Ouedraogo has a "similar profile" to Pogba, Kephram Thuram and Ryan Gravenberch, explaining those three are “players who are mis-profiled as a six due to their physical prowess and height but actually are best as advanced eights”.
As such, if United did purchase Ouedraogo it might mean they have to play Mainoo as a deeper midfielder. This certainly works against the 19-year-old’s best skillset, which is also playing as an advanced eight. Thus, they would likely have to sign another player who thrives most when playing deeper to fit both Ouedraogo and Mainoo into the same side.
Signing the Schalke sensation for just £17.1m certainly seems like a smart piece of business for United to conduct. It means they could finally bring in a replacement for Pogba and replace Casemiro. Doesn't that sound a little bit good?
Ten Hag must immediately bench Man Utd ace after 1/10 Palace display
Man United slumped to a horrendous defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace.
By
Matt Dawson
May 7, 2024
Chelsea could be set to leave their Stamford Bridge home with the Blues in talks to build a new stadium in west London with a bigger capacity.
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Everton sealed their survival for another season in the Premier League as they secured all three points with a 1-0 win over Brentford at Goodison Park on Saturday.
The Toffees are now 11 points clear of the relegation zone with three matches to play, which means that they will be in the top-flight once again next term.
Sean Dyche's side have won four of their last five games in the Premier League to go clear of the bottom three, which leaves Nottingham Forest, Luton Town, and Burnley battling it out to avoid going down.
The club can now turn their attention to the summer transfer window as they potentially look to improve the squad to ensure that next season is not as much of a struggle at the bottom end of the table.
Dyche and his team could look at signings to make an immediate impact in the first-team next term, but they could also bring in talented young players with a view to them being future stars.
Back in March, TEAMtalk journalist Harry Watkinson reported that Everton are one of a number of teams eyeing up Celtic teenager Rocco Vata ahead of the summer transfer window.
His contract with the Scottish giants expires next month and the Toffees are keeping close tabs on his situation ahead of a possible swoop for his services.
Italian side Lazio reportedly made a move for him earlier this month as they look to steal a march on their rivals to get a deal done for the talented youngster.
In March, The Athletic reported that Celtic have offered Vata a new contract to remain with the Premiership outfit, which would extend his current deal through to 2027.
However, it was added that the forward has found first-team opportunities hard to come by under Brendan Rodgers, which has opened the door to a potential exit.
The Athletic named Watford, who would have to pay a fee of around £239k in compensation to sign him, Como, Bolonga, and Sampdoria among the clubs interested in a deal for the 19-year-old starlet.
Vata has been at Celtic since the age of seven and they would be due compensation from any team signing him on a 'free' transfer this summer, as they have attempted to tie him down to an extension after developing him through their youth system.
Whilst the teenage whiz may not be ready to hit the ground running in the Premier League, Dyche could sign him a dream successor to Abdoulaye Doucoure in the second striker role behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
The Mali international has operated as the attacking midfielder, or second striker, behind the starting centre-forward in the top-flight for the Toffees this season, with the likes of Idrissa Gueye, Amadou Onana, and James Garner lining up behind him in a midfield two.
Doucoure went viral over the weekend for an Instagram post with the caption 'Talent 10%. Mental 90%. Never give up.', with talkSPORT reporting that some fans took it to mean he was joking about only having 10% of talent, rather than the likely intended message of the importance of having a strong mentality.
The 31-year-old dynamo has been a regular starter for the Toffees throughout the season, starting all 29 of his league appearances, which speaks to how much Dyche trusts him to do a job on the pitch.
|
23/24 Premier League |
Abdoulaye Doucoure |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
29 |
|
xG |
7.05 |
|
Goals |
6 |
|
Big chances missed |
9 |
|
Assists |
2 |
|
Big chances created |
4 |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
|
As you can see in the table above, Doucoure has chipped in with moments of quality in the final third to secure points for Everton, with eight direct goal contributions in 29 matches.
However, the experienced gem has also underperformed his xG by one goal and this suggests that there is room for the Toffees, or Doucoure himself, to improve in that area.
The attacking midfielder has also struggled with the physical side of the game throughout the 2023/24 campaign, with a duel success rate of 36% in the Premier League.
His current contract with Everton is due to expire in the summer of 2025, when he will be 32, and Vata could be brought in with a view to him being the long-term successor to the former Watford man.
Per Transfermarkt, the teenage whiz's main position is as a second striker, which makes him the ideal heir to Doucoure's role behind Calvert-Lewin.
The 5 foot 9 attacker has only made six first-team appearances for Celtic thus far, scoring one goal, but his form at youth level for club and country illustrates his big potential.
During the last international break, Vata showcased his goalscoring potential for Republic of Ireland at U21 level with a hat-trick against San Marino.
|
Rocco Vata |
Vs San Marino U21s (22/03/24) |
|---|---|
|
Sofascore rating |
9.9 |
|
Goals |
3 |
|
Big chances missed |
1 |
|
Dribbles completed |
4 |
|
Key passes |
1 |
|
Duels won |
5/11 |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
|
As you can see in the table above, the Hoops teen was busy throughout the game, with goals, dribbles, one key pass, and duels won to make himself a constant threat to the opposition.
Vata, who talent scout Jacek Kulig once claimed has an "exciting" future ahead, has also been in exceptional form for Celtic's B team this season with a return of 12 goals in 15 Lowland League matches, and one goal in one Challenge Cup outing.
The 19-year-old marksman has plundered 21 goals and one assist in 31 Lowland League games since the start of last season, which is a return of one goal every 1.48 outings on average.
He also created two 'big chances' in just 44 minutes of action across four Premiership appearances for Ange Postecoglou at first-team level for Celtic last season, which speaks to his creative potential in a second striker or attacking midfield role.
These statistics illustrate Vata's quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals, with glimpses of his ability in the senior team as well as in the academy, and that is why Dyche should swoop to land him when his Hoops contract expires this summer.
The Irish youngster could turn out to be the dream successor to Doucoure in the second striker position behind Calvert-Lewin if he can translate his goalscoring exploits over to English football with more experience and development over the years to come.
Manchester United are reportedly interested in signing Augsburg centre-back Felix Uduokhai, following the imminent addition of Lisandro Martinez.
Erik ten Hag is looking to bring in players who suit his system down to the ground, as he looks to end a poor spell at Old Trafford that has gone on far too long since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson.
One player who looks nailed on to join United is Ajax centre-back Lisandro Martinez, with the 24-year-old thought to be flying to Manchester to complete his move.
It looks as though United’s business isn’t done at the heart of the defence though, after they conceded 57 goals in 38 top flight games last season.
According to TuttoMercatoWeb [via Sport Witness], the Red Devils are now eyeing up ‘another’ defender ‘after Martinez’.
Indeed, the Red Devils are apparently ‘evaluating’ the 24-year-old Uduokhai as they look to ‘further armour Erik ten Hag’s rearguard’.
The German, likened to David Alaba by the Bundesliga’s official site, represented his country at the Olympics in Tokyo last summer, making three appearances in total, and averaged 1.8 aerial wins and 2.5 clearances per game in 13 Bundesliga appearances last season.
It seems clear that Ten Hag sees centre-back as a massive problem area of the pitch, which may cause potential problems for Harry Maguire.
Admittedly, the manager has decided to keep him as captain, but he endured a wretched 2021/22 campaign and his lack of pace could be an issue in United’s new style of play, with the new boss keen to press further up the pitch.
Martinez and Udokhai are younger options than Maguire, and players that Ten Hag is hand-picking rather than inheriting, and it will be interesting to see if the skipper keeps his place once the new season gets underway.
The 6 foot 3 Udokhai, labelled ‘commanding’ by Ronan Murphy, could also complement the shorter Martinez well, and with both 24, they represent long-term options than Maguire and Raphael Varane.
Manchester City have been backed by Juventus to make a move for their defender Matthijs de Ligt this summer, according to reports.
The Blues aren’t wasting any time in completing their transfer business, having already secured Erling Haaland up top and now close to securing Kalvin Phillips in midfield, but the one area of the pitch where the movement has been pretty quiet is in defence.
The 22-year-old is the only name who has made the headlines when it comes to a potential Etihad switch, with Pep Guardiola’s side previously understood to have been battling it out with Premier League rivals Manchester United for his signature, and another link to the former Ajax captain has now surfaced.
In a new article published by Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), it’s claimed that Juventus are ‘confident’ that City will attempt to sign De Ligt this transfer window.
The source states that the reason for this is because Guardiola has ‘never hidden his admiration’ for the centre-back, and that if Nathan Ake were to leave the club this summer, this could create ‘space to include’ the 6 foot 2 ace at the back.
Whether Ake is to stay in Manchester or not, De Ligt isn’t someone who City should be making a priority to sign at this moment in time, given his sizeable price tag.
The 38-cap international, who was once hailed a ‘complete’ player by his former Ajax teammate Dusan Tadic, is believed to have a whopping €120m (£103m) release clause in his contract at Juventus.
This isn’t a sum that the hierarchy should be coughing up for someone who they don’t consider a serious transfer target in comparison to the level of interest they held in their new signings, but this could definitely be a deal to watch in the future if his contract situation lowers the price tag.
Sunderland AFC face the tough task of replacing Black Cats main-stay Aiden McGeady, after releasing the veteran winger last month.
Despite struggling with a knee injury in the season just gone, McGeady still managed to make 14 appearances for Alex Neil’s side, chipping in with a healthy seven returns in the form of three goals and four assists.
Whilst he did not directly contribute to the Black Cats’ play-off success on the pitch, his experience in and around the dressing room would surely have helped the side to pull off such a feat.
McGeady has been there through thick and thin with Sunderland, joining them in the Championship and staying with them as they sunk to the third tier of English football.
Sunderland could surely make use of an experienced and clinical midfielder in what could be a tough survival campaign in the Championship this season.
And they can find that experience in the soon-to-be free-agent Robbie Brady, who joined Bournemouth ahead of the second half of last season, with rumours around a potential move to Sunderland growing, as per TEAMtalk.
The 57-cap Ireland international only made six Championship appearances due to injury though, with Scott Parker stating this last year via the Bournemouth Echo:
“Robbie has been probably one of the most frustrated out of everyone really. It’s been very stop-start. It’s been niggly for Rob, so he’s pleased to be back.
“We need to try and keep him back now, keep him ticking along, because he’s got big quality, big experience as well and he could help us for the run-in.”
Brady, who has scored “cracking free-kick”, offers a greater level of versatility, being able to occupy both advanced and defensive positions along the flanks, and if he can stay fit, could bolster Neil’s side having been a first-team Premier League player just two seasons ago.
Available on a free, Brady is worth a gamble from the perspective of the Sunderland boss and could offer a similar presence to club veteran McGeady.
AND in other news: Huge Sunderland behind-scenes development emerges, supporters will be buzzing
Wolves are willing to sell right-back Ki-Jana Hoever during the summer transfer window, according to a new report which has emerged.
The 20-year-old joined the Old Gold from Liverpool in 2020, coming in as a precocious defender who appeared to have a bright future ahead of him.
Hoever has struggled for playing time at Molineux to date, though, only starting four Premier League games last season and finding himself as a backup to Nelson Semedo, obtaining less than 500 minutes of senior game-time.
It now looks as though the Dutchman’s time at Wolves could be coming to an end.
According to The Express & Star’s Liam Keen, the Molineux club are ‘open’ to the idea of letting Hoever leave this summer, as they aim to recoup the £9m that they paid for him.
The youngster’s current deal expires in the summer of 2025, but the report mentioned that Bruno Lage has previously called him out over sustaining injuries due to inadequate preparation.
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While Hoever seems a talented young player – Lage called him ‘fantastic’ in April – it does feel as though he is not in his manager’s main plans.
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For that reason, Wolves should jump at the chance to sell him if somewhere close to a £9m offer arrives, generating funds for new signings at the same time.
There would be an element of risk in selling Hoever, given that he has been nominated for the European Golden Boy award for 2022, but he hasn’t yet kicked on at Molineux as some may have initially hoped.
In other news, one Wolves signing is reportedly edging closer. Find out who it is here.
Beren Cross has dropped an update on reported Leeds United transfer target Arnaud Kalimuendo.
In a recent Q&A on Leeds Live, the journalist revealed that, following recent reports of Victor Orta’s interest in a deal for the Paris Saint-Germain centre-froward, the Whites are indeed keen on a move for the 20-year-old this summer.
However, Cross went on to state that the France U21 international is a player on a number of clubs’ transfer wishlists in the current market, while he also claimed that the former RC Lens loanee is not currently Orta’s number one target in attack.
In response to a question asking whether Leeds hold an interest in Kalimuendo, the journalist said: “Kalimuendo is one Leeds are understood to like, but talk of a formal bid may be wide of the mark. He’s a striker on a lot of clubs’ shortlists, we are told. He’s not the number one target, but one that could well emerge as a goer.”
Considering just how exciting a talent Kalimuendo undoubtedly is, Cross’ confirmation that Orta is interested in pursuing a move for the 20-year-old striker this summer is sure to be news that will leave the Elland Road faithful buzzing.
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Indeed, over his 34 Ligue 1 appearances for Lens last season, the £17m-rated youngster was in fantastic form, hitting the back of the net on 12 occasions and creating three big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 1.8 shots, making 0.6 key passes and completing 0.8 dribbles per game.
These returns saw the £6.6k-per-week average an incredibly impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.82, playing a key role in Les Sang et Or’s rather surprising seventh-place finish in the top flight of French football last time out.
As such, when considering the fact that the PSG starlet is still only 20 years of age – with the Frenchman being a little over three months older than Joe Gelhardt – it is clear to see just how promising a talent the striker truly is, leading us to believe that Cross’ latest update on the Whites’ pursuit of Kalimuendo is sure to be one that supporters of Leeds will love.
AND in other news: Orta now plotting Leeds bid for “devastating” £30m target, his “potential is scary”