Manchester United have just received a huge boost in their pursuit of Ligue 1 winning midfielder Fabinho as their weeks of chasing is finally changing things. As per reports, the player has quite openly expressed his admiration about the club and their manager, Jose Mourinho. The Brazilian youngster was a significant part of AS Monaco’s title winning season last term and is in huge demand.
Manchester United have been linked with almost all the highly-rated prospects in the ongoing summer transfer window, which has made the credibility cloudier. But, given Fabinho’s phenomenal form and United’s dire need of a proper midfielder to support Paul Pogba, this deal could be happening.
United have suffered tremendously last season on the attacking front. They managed to churn out 15 draws in 36 games and given their lack of creativity, it wasn’t very surprising. Despite having the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Wayne Rooney, Marcus Rashford, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Anthony Martial, they could score only 54 goals.
And the fact that Arsenal, who finished just one position above them had managed 77 goals in the same number of games, reflects the sorry state of Old Trafford. In Ander Herrera, Pogba and Juan Mata, Mourinho had extremely little resources to unlock opponent’s defence, and they ended up creating only 447 chances.
United have been linked with the likes of Marco Verratti, Nemanja Matic and more, but Fabinho looks a much more realistic target. In an interview with Brazilian television channel Esporte Interativo, Fabinho said, “Manchester United is a great team and I would think about it… If Mourinho invites me it would be very tempting… But I would have to talk with my agent and Monaco to make the things right.”
The 23-year-old Brazilian international has been the engine to Leonardo Jardim’s perfect setup, getting involved in every move and working tirelessly throughout alongside Tiemoue Bakayoko. Fabinho has managed to score nine goals and register three assists, in 37 league appearances. He took his goal tally to 12 in all competitions.
Despite being defensive-minded, the player has racked up an impressive assist rate last season, which reflects his huge demand in the world market. United will have to fight with archrivals City to land him as his versatility in the defensive third has also caught the attention of Pep Guardiola.
A central midfielder by nature, Fabinho can be equally effective on the right defensive flank, which is apt for Premier League, where managers have to improvise and reshuffle the squad more than any other league.
