Manchester United have made the first move in their pursuit of Fulham’s young midfielder Ryan Sessegnon, according to reports. The English international has more than 100 senior appearances at just 19 years of age and is a star in the making.
According to SkySports, Manchester United have made the initial contact ahead of Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus who are also linked with the young Englishman.
Sessegnon got relegated with Fulham at the start of April and is believed to be hesitant to play another year in the Championship. The Cottagers might also look to cash in on the youngster who has only one more year left on his Fulham contract.
What will Ryan Sessegnon bring to Old Trafford?
Sessegnon is a versatile left-sided midfielder who has played both at left-back and left-wing from time to time. The 19-year-old had 8 goal contributions in 38 appearances netting the ball on two occasions in the difficult 2018/19 season.
Manchester United, under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, could look to focus on signing young players and not necessarily splash money only on proven stars. This will sync with the pursuit of Sessegnon who is fairly young with a point to prove. Solskjaer would be looking to bolster the left side of their defence with Luke Shaw their only proper option and Sessegnon looks like a good fit to remedy the situation.
The Englishman can serve as a backup option for Shaw with Matteo Darmian linked with a move elsewhere. Sessegnon not only brings the required competition among the squad but his positional play, vision and awareness are some other things to be acknowledged especially for a player at such a young age.
The 19-year-old at Old Trafford sounds like a good bet for the Red Devils who are going through a rebuilding phase themselves. Sessegnon almost always covers the entire left side of the pitch bombarding up and down the flanks giving his 100% throughout the 90 minutes. His involvement in the squad is bound to bring a certain energy to the team which has been lacking at Old Trafford for quite some time now.
United’s lack of Champions League football is unlikely to affect the Fulham star’s decision making right now, with the Europa League and the Premier League competitions, in truth, a significant upgrade on the second tier competition.
Fulham have set a £40m price tag for the 19-year-old which can go higher if a bidding war insinuates. The Red Devils, who are looking to spend big but wise this summer, will not be hesitant on splashing the money on the young and bright talent.
Stats Courtesy: Transfermarkt