In a recent report, The Daily Mirror has revealed that Manchester United are eyeing a summer move for Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde. It is believed that the Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has identified the French centre-back as an ideal long-term partner for Harry Maguire at Old Trafford (via The Daily Mirror).
Kounde’s Decent Form At Seville This Season
The Paris-born sensation has enjoyed a solid campaign at Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium after producing a series of dominant displays at the heart of the Sevilla backline. Kounde has participated in 27 matches for the Spanish outfit this term, netting two goals in the process across all fronts.
The 22-year-old deserves a pat on the back for averaging 0.8 tackles, 1.0 interceptions,3.0 clearances, 0.7 shots and 0.7 dribbles per game in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League group stages. The ex-Bordeaux talent has even distributed possession relatively well as he has completed 88.4% of his attempted passes in both those competitions (stats via whoscored).
Kounde could be tempted with the opportunity to join Man United where he will have a better shot at winning a few trophies in the coming seasons. At 22, he will only get better with each year, so Solskjaer will do well to lure him away from Sevilla at the end of this campaign.
What Will The French Prospect Bring To The Theatre Of Dreams?
Kounde is often quick to snuff out the danger and has the tenacity to earn possession back for his team. He is also not shy of clearing the threat when under pressure from the opposition and can be quite efficient when passing the ball out from the back.
The four-time France Under-21 international has got the pace to get back and defend when his teammates are caught out of position. He has matured into a solid defender under Julen Lopetegui’s this season, but there are some concerns over whether he would be able to cope with the physical nature and high intensity of football in England.
The Reds Devils can benefit from strengthening their defence next summer. The up and down form of Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire has cost Man United some results in the early stages of this campaign. Eric Bailly and Alex Tuanzebe have both done well to offer some cover for them in recent weeks. Still, Solskjaer would be better off increasing competition within his squad by recruiting someone like Kounde, who is young and has got the potential to become a world-class defender someday.
Furthermore, the French sensation will complement Harry Maguire’s game quite well. Kounde could potentially form a dominant centre-back partnership with the English defender if Solskjaer can get him on board next summer.
