According to Fabrizio Romano of the Guardian, Manchester United are on the verge of missing out on Mario Mandzukic. The Red Devils have reopened talks with Juventus over the potential transfer of the Croatian international. But, no agreement has been reached, and the deal could well collapse. Juventus already consider it to be a “very difficult deal” at the moment.
A statistical profile of Mandzukic
Manduzkic is labelled as a robust striker, who is always willing to pressurise the opposing defenders. Much like Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino, the Croatian becomes very useful in the first line of press. This is backed up by statistics as well.
The Juventus ace attempted 1.7 tackles per game last season – a tally only bettered by Fiorentina’s Giovanni Simeone in the Serie A, among strikers who played more than 20 league games. The 33-year-old has a significantly higher success rate of 83% compared to Simeone’s 63%.
Furthermore, Mandzukic boasts a tall 190cm frame that gives him a considerable advantage in the air. It makes him a massive threat from set-pieces. The Croatian was notably involved in 5.2 headed duels last season. He won more than half of them, which is higher than any other Juventus player who played regularly.
Aside from his heading prowess, the ex-Bayern Munich star is a lethal finisher as well. He scored as many as nine goals despite attempting only 31 shots on goal last season. To put things into perspective, Cristiano Ronaldo scored 21 goals in 177 attempts, which is enough to signify how efficient Mandzukic is when it comes to goalscoring.
Will missing out on Mandzukic be a blow for United?
Manchester United will undoubtedly rue missing out on Mandzukic. As illustrated earlier, he is an industrious striker, who is the best at what he does. His aggression, aerial prowess and lethal finishing could have been useful to the United attack that has struggled with the inconsistencies of Romelu Lukaku.
The Belgian international has also been linked with a move away from Old Trafford. Many reports already claim that the striker is closing in on a switch to Inter Milan.
Mandzukic, in that regard, would have been a short-term replacement, who is also better fitted to Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer’s system. Therefore, the Red Devils should do everything they can to convince Juventus to sell the striker. But, they need to act swiftly with time running out.
Stat courtesy: Whoscored
