Champions League football is still a farcical cry for Manchester United as they are still unable to get away from the clutches of the sixth place in the league table. Despite injecting truckloads of cash ever since Louis Van Gaal was at the helm of the club, the Red Devils are yet to find a strong footing once again in the top tier of English football despite the incoming of Jose Mourinho who was brought to turn around their fortunes and re-establish their title credentials.
However, the breeze of structuring themselves to the point of adequacy seems likely to continue in the summer transfer window as well and apparently, Manchester United are keeping a watchful eye on Napoli’s sensational goal machine, Dries Mertens, to replace ageing players such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney. More than anything else, it is Mertens’ versatility and sharp attacking tooth which are drawing the interest in him from the Manchester-based outfit.
Mourinho’s attacking arsenal has been blunt more often than not, apart from the consistent striker in the shape of Ibrahimovic who has saved his employer’s blushes on innumerable occasions. They are still in a dire need to beef up their offensive enforcements and without any shadow of a doubt, Mertens would be an excellent addition.
The 29-year-old is having a stellar campaign in Serie A with Napoli, having scored 19 goals in 25 appearances, has created 36 chances and registered 4 assists to his name. His form in the Champions League is no inferior as he bagged 5 goals and carved 2 assists to his name in 8 games to underline that his calibre is no fluke.
Interestingly, he has stalled talks over his contract’s extension which expires in the summer of 2018, and this provides an opportunity for Mourinho to pounce upon him in the summer. The Belgian international, who overtook Chelsea’s Eden Hazard for the Belgian Player of the Year award in the month of December, is versatile enough to be played as an out and out striker, an attacking midfielder on the right as well as on the left wing which would definitely come in handy for a top quality side like Manchester United.
Mertens’ pace, passing range and tenacity is top-notch and not to mention that his form has gone on onwards and upwards and he has added strength to strength. In a scenario where Manchester United are looking for the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Mertens can very well be the backup, should the deal to lure the French attacker fails in the summer.
Statistics Credits: Squawka.
