According to reports in Spain, Manchester United have again been linked with a move for Barcelona’s Sergi Roberto. The report suggests that Jose Mourinho is keen to bring the Spanish International to Old Trafford and is also said to be willing to give a massive pay-hike in a bid to lure the 25-year-old away from Nou Camp.
Roberto is said to have a £37.5m buy-out clause which surely won’t prove to be a stumbling block for the Manchester outfit. Sergi Roberto suggested last term, that he was happy at Barcelona but the lack of opportunities with the arrival of Ousmane Dembele and Paulinho, might see him opt for a move away from Camp Nou.
Manchester United are not short of options on the left flank and the likes of Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford have done extremely well for the Red Devils this season in the Premier League but when it comes to the right-sided midfield, they don’t boast of a similar depth. Addition of someone like Sergi Roberto could provide much-needed depth and quality to the Manchester side.
Sergi Roberto is also quite versatile and can be deployed in the central midfield, wide-midfield or as a full-back. Although he prefers to play in the central attacking midfield, he was deployed as a right-back by Barcelona which may have unsettled the midfielder even further. Even this season, Roberto has no fixed position and is used as per requirement. With so much competition in the midfield, it is quite unlikely that he will play his preferred position.
If Manchester United are successful in bringing Roberto it is highly unlikely that he will be deployed as a wing-back or a full-back, a position which he has played for the recent majority of his Barcelona career with Antonio Valencia already there. He could very well be deployed on the right wing or in central midfield and certainly has the ability to excel in those roles.
Although his contribution is quite meagre in terms of goals, he certainly has the ability to connect the attack with defence. With his excellent dribbling skills, he can also dig the team out of tight areas. Roberto has also got good instinctive abilities and can exchange quick passes with his team-mates to make an improvised attack more potent. Manchester United have done really well this season and the addition of someone like him can add to the selection flexibility and give Jose Mourinho the luxury of options.
With the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea also linked with a move for the 25-year-old, Manchester United will have to move quickly in the market if they want to acquire the services of the Spanish midfielder.
