Manchester United received a huge blow in their transfer pursuit of Serie A full-back, Alex Sandro after hearing his recent statements to Gazzetta Dello Sport – “I feel really good and I am satisfied with my condition today. My goal is, first of all, to win everything with Juventus. Then, the World Cup will come and I hope to deserve a call from the Selecao by doing well here.”
The 27-year-old was on Jose Mourinho’s wish list for the January transfer window but the United manager ended up prioritizing the transfer of Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal. The left-back position has been one of the weakest links in the United lineup this season.
Ashley Young has featured heavily as a makeshift option with Luke Shaw struggling to prove his fitness over the first half of the season. Shaw has been awarded 5 starts out of the 8 games they played this year but it is still only a rotational option under the former Galactico head coach.
Mourinho has implemented the back-three formation on certain occasions this season. Sandro’s wide range of skills would have come handy on both ends of the pitch.
Operating from the left like an engine, Sandro’s pace and distribution abilities are hard to match up against for opposition wide men. He has abundant talent on both ends of the pitch and is one of the best replacements for Marcelo in the national team. Netting the ball on 8 occasions, Sandro has registered 17 assists to his name for the Italian giants.
Right now his prior goal is to make a strong case for selection to the Brazil national team ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Pondering over his future will only shift his focus from the job at hand and United will have to look for replacements if they plan on concluding their business as early as possible.
Mourinho can consider the following options to replace the Brazilian.
Kieran Tierney
Tierney has been impressive for Scottish Premiership outfit, Celtic this season and at the age of 20, has a long career ahead of him. He has already racked up over 100 appearances for the Hoops and was previously targeted by the Red Devils.
Layvin Kurzawa
The Paris Saint-Germain left-back is currently evaluating his future with the Ligue 1 outfit. The club manager, Unai Emery has rotated him around with last summer arrival, Yuri Berchiche in the backline and this has forced Kurzawa to question his importance at the Parc des Princes. Mourinho can give him an escape to the Old Trafford if the 25-year-old is still dissatisfied after the present campaign.
Danny Rose
He has been demoted to the second-team role behind his former understudy, Ben Davies. Heavy interests were already expressed by United in the January window but none of the rumours materialized.
