Manchester United need to buy at least one or possibly more (in case of further departures) central midfielders ahead of the 2019-20 season. They have been linked with Sporting Lisbon’s Bruno Fernandes recently, though he is more of an attacking option than someone who can take care of central midfield.
The Red Devils have now been rumoured to be interested in signing Juventus’ experienced midfielder Blaise Matuidi, who could be available for sale, as per Tuttosport (via Transfer Market Web). The report states that Paris Saint-Germain are also interested in buying back the midfielder who played between 2011 and 2017 for the French club.
Juventus are also keen on selling Moise Kean, to finance the deal to bring back Paul Pogba to the Italian club. Matuidi joined Juventus in 2017 and has made 88 appearances for the club, scoring 7 goals, and winning two Serie A titles with Juventus.
Matuidi made 42 appearances for the club, scoring 3 goals and 3 assists for the club in the 2018-19 season. He was also a part of France’s World Cup-winning squad, featuring in 5 games throughout the tournament.
A good midfield option for Ole to have?
Manchester United have made two signings so far, right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka and winger Daniel James. The Red Devils need to sign at least one central midfielder to replace Ander Herrera, who left the club for Paris Saint-Germain, while United are yet to sign a replacement for Marouane Fellaini, who left the club in January this year.
Matuidi is a hard-working, all-round midfielder who can defend, offering attacking players the freedom to bomb forward while he sits back to provide cover for the back four. But, the Frenchman can also be an option in attack thanks to his energy and strength in midfield. Matuidi is a good box-to-box player who can contribute at either end of the pitch, while he has also been deployed on the left as a wide player.
A player with good movement and intelligence with and without the ball, Matuidi could be a good option for most top sides in Europe, but at 32 years of age, his peak years are already past him and he probably has just a couple of years at the top. United, under Solskjaer, are building a young side who can challenge for the Premier League in the next few years and adding Matuidi to the team will not help the club reach its goals. United already have an experienced central midfielder in Nemanja Matic and do not need another one at the moment.