What a difference one season can make. At the end of last season, Richarlison was plying his footballing trade back in Brazil in Latin America. His form was excellent and the young winger had already made a name for himself in the land of the Samba. Clubs in Europe had already sent in their scouts to look into the Brazilian and after many months of interest and transfer talks, Richarlison had set foot in England, signed by Watford.
The Hornets had managed to scrap through a cheap deal for £11 million from Fluminense for the winger come forward. The 20-year-old carried his form into England and he was an instant hit at the club. He had taken the English Premier League by storm and defences were scared of his direct style of dribbling.
He hit the net five times in his first 12 games making other clubs look further into him. However, since November his form took a downturn and he has been unable to score since. However, given his young age and with clubs having seen him at his best, not everyone is backing out.
The Portuguese boss has a plethora options in attack with Alexis Sanchez, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford as his first choice players on the wings and Jesse Lingaard as a more than capable backup. However, while Alexis’ failing form can be recovered, Martial’s growing frustration is unlikely to temper down.
The Frenchman has been looked over at the club despite having one of the best goals to minutes ration in the league. Agreed, the competition at United is intense but a player of Martial’s ability has not really been given the opportunity he deserves at his age and it has led to reports claiming that Martial could be on his way out.
This would ideally pave the way for Richarlison who would then be able to fill up the squad role at Manchester United. However, whether the Brazilian would agree to play third-choice behind Sanchez and Rashford remains to be seen.
