Manchester United received a huge transfer boost in their pursuit of AS Roma central midfielder Radja Nainggolan as the Serie A club is reportedly in a tight situation to sell off their stars to avoid financial fair play punishment.
United manager Jose Mourinho has been an admirer of the Belgian ace for a long time now and has been keeping tabs on the midfielder since his Chelsea days. Now, with an opportunity wide open, he will surely be making the most of it. The Red Devils came out of a poor domestic campaign last season, which saw them finish sixth in the table.
Mourinho lost both Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger after taking charge and his grand plan of playing the ball through the towering Paul Pogba didn’t work out too well. While Ander Herrera did support the Frenchman to a large extent, the likes of Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick were hardly efficient. United ended the season with 15 draws as a result and scoring only 54 goals.
Scoring just above 50, despite having the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Wayne Rooney and Marcus Rashford, reflects the lack of creativity this United side have experienced lately. And Nainggolan could be the perfect addition for them to regain their lost touch.
The 29-year-old midfielder is just how Mourinho likes it. Unlike his nemesis, Pep Guardiola, manager of Manchester City who prefers to nurture young talents through his gameplay, Mourinho’s approach is more direct. The Portuguese boss likes players who can get into the first team right from the star; him targeting Inter Milan’s Ivan Perisic was a perfect example of that.
Pretty much attack-minded, Nainggolan could provide good cover for Pogba in the midfield, by winning the balls both from aerial duels and intelligent interceptions. Although only 175cm, the Belgian is surprisingly strong and possesses exceptional abilities to hold the ball under tight situations.
He has managed 14 goals and seven assists last season in 53 appearances for Roma. And the fact that he is less injury prone makes him all the more valuable for Mourinho, who was thrown into a huge crisis, given the plethora of injuries he had to deal with during the constant midweek fixtures last season.
Although Roma would normally hold a price tag of around €50m price tag to let their star midfielder leave Olimpico di Roma, the financial restraints might force them to sell for as less as €30m now. United would be more than happy to pay that amount for such a proven player.
