Manchester United have still not signed a central midfielder, which was one of their priorities, following the departures of Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini, the latter who left in the January transfer window.
With the future of Paul Pogba still in doubt, and Nemanja Matic’s powers waning, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has to buy a new central midfielder ahead of the 2019-20 season.
The Red Devils have been linked with highly-rated Italian midfielder/attacking midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo, who currently plays for Roma, the club he joined in 2018.
Calciomercato are reporting that United have joined in the race to sign Zaniolo, who is also wanted by Tottenham and Juventus. The report reveals that the English side could make a “late move: for the 20-year-old, who had a good first season at Roma.”
Zaniolo had joined Roma for €4.5 million in the deal which saw Radja Nainggolan move to Inter Milan. The 20-year-old had a very good year, scoring 4 goals and 2 assists, and impressing with his all-round play.
His great year with Roma resulted in him being called up to the Italian national team earlier this year, and he has so far made two appearances for the Azzurri.
Nicolo Zaniolo is the player Manchester United are missing
Manchester United are short of central midfielders of quality, with the likes of Nemanja Matic and Fred not impressing last season, and the others – Scott McTominay and Andreas Pereira not experienced or haven’t been consistent.
A player like Zaniolo would be a welcome addition to this United squad, which, at times, has lacked guile and creativity.
The 20-year-old Italian’s greatest strength is his maturity and composure in the middle of the park, while also possessing good technique and the dribbling ability.
Zaniolo is quick with the ball at his feet while also having good technique and vision to thread balls through to the attacking teammates.
He completed an average of 1.5 dribbles per game in Serie A, while averaging 1.8 shots per game. An all-action player, Zaniolo can play in central midfield, but has flourished as an attacking midfielder, while he has also played out wide.
A phenomenal talent, Zaniolo could add some much-need verve and zeal to the Manchester United midfield, and would complement players like McTominay in the team.