Jose Mourinho will be a happy man at the moment as his Manchester United squad managed to pick up all three points from their first game of the new campaign against West Ham United at home. The manager will be desperate to try and lift the league title this season and wants to add as much depth and quality to the squad as possible, this summer.
This has seen him scout for some of the finest talents in world football and one name now constantly doing the rounds is Turkish star, Arda Turan.
The former Atletico Madrid midfielder joined fellow rivals Barcelona a couple of years ago but has failed to establish himself in the first team as yet. He is not expected to play a huge role in the squad under the new manager Ernesto Valverde, who is ready to off load him.
According to reports, the player’s agent wants Turan to quit Barcelona and is looking for potential suitors this summer. Arsenal and Liverpool are also monitoring his situation alongside the Red Devils, but what can he add to the squad at Old Trafford?
A product of the academy at Galatasaray in his home country, Turan joined Atletico Madrid in 2011 and soon established himself as one of the most exciting attacking midfielders in the game. Luis Enrique, the then Barcelona boss, decided to bring him to the Camp Nou but Turan has rarely been a regular starter for the club, only making appearances from the bench.
He has 163 La Liga appearances and 32 Champions League appearances to add to his 97 international appearances for Turkey and is an established star in Europe. However, he managed to make just 18 La Liga appearances last season, picking up three goals and three assists all season, which will push him out of the club this summer.
A versatile midfielder capable of playing in an attacking role or as a part of the midfield three, Turan is a technically gifted player who is hard to dispossess. He has great control of the ball while his strength in hold up play makes him much more dangerous. He loves to play short passes or dribble past opponents and his quality in the final third is evident in every game he plays.
He is now 30 and is not going to be in his prime for too long but Manchester United can do with a player like him in the squad this season. Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba and Ander Herrera are expected to be first choice midfielders this season for Jose Mourinho, who only has Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick as backups.
Turan can not only be a first team choice in this role but can also play on the wing and deputize during contingencies. He solves a couple of problems at Old Trafford but at 30, is he a player United should invest in?
