Though attack has been Manchester United’s prime and at times their only priority in the past few weeks for summer shopping, there is no denying that the Red Devils are experiencing a huge void in their central midfield despite having some world class players.
Jose Mourinho brought in Paul Pogba last season for a whopping 89 million pounds and his blueprint revolved around his multi-million-pound signing. It even paved the way out for Morgan Schneiderlin and dropping German international Bastian Schweinsteiger from the team. However, it didn’t take long before the manager realised his mistake. The boss is often seen playing old legs Michael Carrick or Schweinsteiger in the middle of the park now.
Pogba has come under huge criticism of late for his underwhelming displays in the league with many, which include United’s previous players, doubting his abilities and astronomical price tag. The French international was a beast in the Serie A club Juventus, where he had scored 28 goals and 31 assists in 124 appearances, which has significantly come down in the Premier League.
There is a good reason to it. Pogba was physically superior to most players in the midfield during his stint in Italy and had a lot of time with the ball. England’s fast-paced league hasn’t given him that chance and Mourinho needs someone who could guard him to let him spend more time with the ball at his feet. And with Michael Carrick and Schweinsteiger remaining huge doubts for the future, Mourinho is left with only Ander Herrera, who could do the task well alongside Pogba.
The search for a mobile midfielder has brought them to AS Monaco player Tiemoue Bakayoko. As per reports, United are plotting a double bid for the French side’s star youngsters Kylian Mbappe and Bakayoko. The duo was breathtaking in Monaco’s 3-1 demolition of Manchester City as they overturned a 5-3 first-leg deficit to progress to the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
And apparently, United’s chief scout, Marcel Bout, was present in that game and brought in positive reports about them, where Bakayoko scored. A central midfielder by nature, Bakayoko has established himself as a first-team player at only 22-years old, appearing 25 times for the French side.
An academy product of French side Stade Rennais FC, Bakayoko moved to Monaco back in 2014. Since making the debut that year for France Under-21s, he already has 13 caps. The 184cm player relies mainly on physical dominance to ply his trade and is lethal from set pieces. His dribbling skills and ability to hold the ball high up the pitch makes him a dangerous player for any team.
