Manchester United are reportedly keen on bringing Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar to Old Trafford. The 25-year-old has impressed over the last few seasons, quickly becoming a highly-coveted defender in Europe.
As per Calciomercato, United could use Alexis Sanchez and Chris Smalling – the latter who spent the season on loan at AS Roma – as well as a transfer fee to persuade Inter to sell the centre-back. Smalling is reportedly wanted by Roma yet again, who want to take him on loan for another season, with a fee set to permanently buy him.
Milan Skriniar has been with Inter Milan since 2017, joining the club for a fee of €20 million from Sampdoria. The Slovakian international’s current deal with the Italian club expires in 2023.
Milan Skriniar: A top addition to the team?
Milan Skriniar is an aggressive, hard-tackling centre-back, who presses with intent to get the ball off the opposition attackers. The central defender likes to press forward and retrieve the ball with his crisp tackling and interceptions. Skriniar averaged 1.2 tackles and 2.6 clearances in the Serie A last season. He is a player who is good in one-on-one situations with opposing defenders, possessing decent pace and ability to gauge attacking scenarios that the opposition formulate.
Skriniar is also good in possession of the ball, rarely giving it away. He mainly deals in short passes, playing out from the back combining with his fellow defenders and midfielders. He completed a whopping 92.1% of his passes in Serie A in the 2019-20 season, while averaging 62.1 passes per game.
The Slovakian could be a great fit for the Manchester United defence. The Premier League side need a quick and aggressive tackler at the back to play alongside captain Harry Maguire, who is not the quickest central defender. Manchester United have improved significantly defensively post the signings of Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, but, at times, they have been vulnerable, especially when playing against tricky and quick players.
A leader and hard-tackling defender like Skriniar could give the United defence some much-needed aggression at the back. But, Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should ensure that he sells a few of the centre-backs he already has, with the likes of Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Marcos Rojo, and maybe even Eric Bailly, not good or consistent enough for the level Manchester United strive to reach once again with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the helm.