Manchester United star Paul Pogba has hailed France teammate Aurelien Tchouameni as ‘extraordinary’ and hopes to play alongside the AS Monaco starlet, which many feel is a nudge towards his club to sign the player.
Aurelien Tchouameni, 21, has enjoyed a meteoric rise in stock since arriving at AS Monaco from Bordeaux in January 2020. The youngster was even voted Ligue 1 2020/21 Young Player of the Year for his dazzling performances for Monaco, where he made 42 appearances in all formats.
According to the Express, Manchester United held talks with Tchouameni’s representatives in an attempt to bring him to Old Trafford during the final stages of the summer transfer window. However, a deal didn’t materialise and the young Frenchman has since stayed put at Monaco for another season.
Tchouameni’s impressive form earned him a call up to France’s first-team, winning his first three caps for Les Blues in the World Cup qualifiers over the recently concluded international break. He started alongside Paul Pogba in midfield against Ukraine and the Manchester United midfielder was effusive in his praise of the Monaco man after the 1-1 draw.
When asked about his compatriot, the Red Devils midfielder told RTL:
“Very, very good. He’s not a boy, he’s a man.
“It’s a pleasure to play next to him. He brings a lot of energy. A lot of energy, extraordinary technical and physical quality.
“We wish him to play a lot more games and that I am always by his side.”
Aurelien Tchouameni to Manchester United—A good fit for Ole’s side?
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer currently has a couple of top-notch midfielders in his ranks. Paul Pogba is rated as one of the best midfielders in Europe, while Bruno Fernandes has transformed the Red Devils since his arrival from Sporting Lisbon in January 2020.
However, the Norwegian tactician lacks a specialist holding midfielder, which has seen United concede poor goals due to a lack of cover by the likes of Scott McTominay, Fred and Nemanja Matic. McTominay and Fred have worked well as a pair, especially in big games, due to their tenacity, work rate and ball-winning skills.
Neither Fred nor McTominay is a natural holding midfielder, though, and Solskjaer using them in double-pivot has often restricted the team in terms of creativity from deeper areas against weaker teams. With Matic ageing, he cannot perform at a high level as he did in his prime and there is an immediate need to fix this area of the pitch.
To that end, the Red Devils must plot a swoop for AS Monaco’s Aurelien Tchouameni. Tchouameni is one of the jewels of French football and his performances for Monaco have understandably already caught the attention of a number of elite European clubs.
Predominantly a defensive midfielder, the 21-year-old is a tall, strong and powerful player who excels in breaking up play, recycling possession and ticking things over for his team. He is a tenacious tackler and a competent ball winner, whilst being composed on the ball. The France international can chase down fast attackers, cover spaces and block passing lanes due to his game awareness and good turn of pace.
Truly, Tchouameni has the raw talent and potential to evolve into an all-action midfielder in the future. He is exactly the sort of player Solskjaer lacks in his team to compete for major honours and silverware. Should the Red Devils end up getting the Monaco starlet in January, it’ll give Solskjaer and the club a major boost in keeping hold of Pogba, who has entered the final year of his contract at Old Trafford.