According to various reports, Manchester United are looking to bring in Inter Milan star Ivan Perisic this summer as the Red Devils look to make amends for the ongoing disastrous campaign.
Nothing seems to go in Jose Mourinho’s way at the moment. His tactics, team selection and even post- match comments have started to backfire with Manchester United struggling to find a crack into the top four with just eight games to go.
And it looks all the worse as the underwhelming season came after a whopping summer spending of £150 million by the new Portuguese manager at the helm. United have collected just 57 points from 30 games so far sitting in the fifth position. And quite interestingly, they have lost just three games so far, which is one less than league leaders Chelsea. It seems like the staggering 12 draws that United have produced so far, have made all the difference. United equal 19th placed Middlesbrough in their quantity of games drawn, which indicates their stagnancy in the league.
While Mourinho has always been an advocate of defensive play, United’s star-studded squad seems to have changed his philosophy this season. United have often been seen throwing bodies up at full throttle relying on the likes of Mkhitaryan, Ibrahimovic, Pogba, Mata, Martial and Rashford.
And the fact that the Red Devils have still managed to score just 46 goals so far, which is not only lesser than the top four sides sitting above them but also lesser than Arsenal, Everton and Bournemouth, speaks volumes about their ineffective midfield.
United’s star signing, Paul Pogba’s failure could be broken down to numerous reasons but the most significant of them is definitely the absence of a potent partner alongside the towering Frenchman. While Ander Herrera has been effective occasionally, the other options of Michael Carrick, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Marouane Fellaini have been a total disaster.
And Mourinho is looking for someone who could ease the pressure on Pogba, giving him ample time with the ball at his feet. The 28-year-old Croatian international is labelled at 35 million pounds and the United manager is ready to shell out the amount.
One of the most sublime attacking midfielders in the Serie A at the moment, Perisic has scored nine times this season and assisting six. At 187cm, Perisic fits the Premier League requirements perfectly winning most of the aerial duels. He is also deadly from set-pieces, which will give another attacking dimension to the United team.
He can play as a midfielder, second striker, attacking midfielder as well as a central midfielder and his ability to find the perfect pass on the counter attack looks unequalled at times. Landing him will definitely be a difficult task if United doesn’t qualify for the Champions League, but a player of his stature could surely lift up their display. In short for the 100th time on The 4th Official, if Manchester United can land him, they should go for it.
