Manchester United have identified Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar as their top target in the summer, it has been claimed.
According to Independent, the Red Devils are determined to strengthen their defensive resources in the summer, and Skriniar has emerged as one targets.
United are also eyeing a move for Kalidou Koulibaly and Joachim Andersen, but it is believed that Skriniar is the option they are more likely to pursue.
Milan Skriniar: The missing piece in the jigsaw
Manchester United have done well under interim coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and the Red Devils will definitely look to keep up the momentum next season, and hope to challenge for the league title.
However, the defence has once again remained an issue for the Premier League giants and they do need to add more quality players to get close to Manchester City and Liverpool.
Skriniar would be an excellent choice as the Slovakian international is blessed with a certain set of qualities that could help thrive in the United backline.
Indeed, the Inter Milan star is an excellent ball-playing defender, whose passes and accurate long-balls will speed up United’s build-up from the back, and the fact that he has attained over 92% of pass completion is a testament of his quality on the ball.
Skriniar is also an excellent reader of the game, who, more often than not, likes to come out of his position to press the opposition or defend on the front-foot, which tunes well with United’s high-octane gameplay under Solskjaer.
In fact, the 24-year-old has averaged almost one interception per game this season while his tally of 2.1 tackles and 3.6 clearances per game is indicative of his doggedness in defence that would fortify the United backline.
Skriniar’s lack of pace, however, could prove to be a problem in the fast-paced nature of the English game, which perhaps makes him a slightly less logical option when compared to Koulibaly.
But, what the Slovakian lacks in pace, he makes up for it with his clever positioning and excellent technical quality, thus making him a tailor-made fit for the Red Devils as they aim to compete with the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham next season.
Stat courtesy: Whoscored