According to a recent report by the Daily Mirror, Premier League giants Manchester United are said to be in the driver’s seat in the race for the services of Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Dennis Zakaria. The report suggests that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen to add players to bolster the Red Devils’ squad for next season and that they currently lead bitter rivals Liverpool in the quest to acquire the youngster’s highly sought-after signature.
The report claims that former Chelsea man Nemanja Matic is yet to convince critics, including his manager, with his displays in the middle of the park for United. Man United believe Zakaria could add a little more grit to the midfield line.
It has been suggested that the youngster is also being watched by some of the biggest teams in Europe, in Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. Despite all of this though, Monchengladbach sporting director Max Eberl is said to be confident about retaining their man past the end of the season.
What Has Manchester United’s Midfield Situation Been This Season?
The Red Devils boast one of the best midfielders in the world in their ranks, in the form of French World Cup winner Paul Pogba. Unfortunately for Ole though, the former Juventus sensation has featured in just seven league games this season owing to injury, with most of them coming off the bench. Fred, Scott McTominay and Nemanja Matic have been the manager’s preferred options in the Frenchman’s absence.
Fred is one of the players that has really grown into his role in the core of this United team, while McTominay is still quite young, and has a lot of developing to do. While the addition of Bruno Fernandes has gone a long way towards solving United’s midfield woes, it must be considered that the Portuguese star’s favoured position is slightly more advanced than the typical midfielder. Also, Matic is 31 now, and there have certainly been signs of the Serbian slowing down over the last couple of years. This could be the perfect time for Ole to start looking at alternatives in the central areas of the pitch.
Why Manchester United Must Beat Liverpool To Zakaria’s Signature?
The 23-year-old stands at more than 1.9m tall and tends to offer quite the presence in the middle of the park. Despite his fairly large physique, the youngster tends to move the ball around with high confidence, while he’s also said to be an excellent passer of the ball. With that said though, there’s no denying that the Swiss international is a defensive-midfielder by trade and that his strongest attributes are intercepting, tackling and defensive positioning.
Having come through the ranks at BSC Young Boys, the youngster made the switch to the Bundesliga in 2017 and has since already gone on to make an impressive 100 appearances. The Swiss midfielder has been one of Monchengladbach’s standout performers since the start of the campaign, and his contributions in the middle of the park have transformed them into actual contenders in the race for the league title. With two goals and two assists from his 23 league fixtures, the midfielder has showcased that he’s adept at getting forward. However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is likely to be more attracted by his highly defensive skill-set.
