The German maestro could also be a significant enhancement over Fred in the park’s center.
With all of the emphasis on incomings at Manchester United this summer, the Red Devils appear to have been quite lax in terms of moving the ‘deadwood’ of late, with a number of questionable futures still to be addressed.
While David De Gea was the most high-profile departure after his contract expired last month, the only notable sale was that of Alex Telles, who joined Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr for £4 million.
Telles’ Brazilian colleague, Fred, is another man who appears to be on United’s radar, with the 30-year-old midfielder valued at roughly £20 million as Erik ten Hag and co attempt to retrieve some much-needed monies in order to spend elsewhere.
After being labeled “not good enough” by club great Roy Keane, the £120k-per-week asset started just two of the final 13 Premier League games of the season, with a change of scenery now required after five years at Old Trafford.
With partner-in-crime Scott McTominay potentially on the market, new midfield recruits appear to be in need, which explains the interest in Bayern Munich mastermind Joshua Kimmich.
What are the latest Man United transfer rumours?
According to sources in Spain late last week, the Red Devils are keen to sign the 28-year-old to bolster their midfield, with the former Stuttgart ace emerging as a ‘priority’ target.
The notion is that Bayern could be’receptive’ to letting the 5’10” ace to leave the Allianz Arena with only two years left on his present contract, allowing Ten Hag to potentially pounce.
This quest for a new midfielder has also brought up significant links to Fiorentina’s Sofyan Amrabat, whom Ten Hag previously coached at Utrecht, though Kimmich may be a better option for United.
Who is better Amrabat or Kimmich?
Former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho praised Kimmich as a “absolutely phenomenal player” during his eight-year career in Bavaria, when he won eight consecutive league titles as well as the Champions League, among other accolades.
According to Mourinho, the German can be “a top right-back, left-back, centre-back, No.6, No.8, No.10” and “has the qualities to be anything.” His versatility should place him ahead of both Fred and Amrabat.
Not only that, but in the Bundesliga last season, the £323k-per-week machine demonstrated his final-third brilliance by scoring five goals and registering six assists in 33 appearances, while also creating 11 huge opportunities and averaging 2.7 critical passes as a sign of his deep-lying creative danger.
Fred, on the other hand, scored twice and assisted twice, while creating only four major opportunities and averaged 0.4 vital passes per game in the Premier League after struggling to make an impact at the top of the pitch.
Amrabat, on the other hand, supplied just one goal involvement, one huge opportunity, and just 0.4 important passes per game, while his defensive contribution of two tackles and interceptions per game was similarly behind Kimmich (3.4) – albeit still bettering Fred (1.8).
Amrabat’s ability to dictate the tempo of a game in midfield ranks him in the top 5% of his European peers, though his average of 7.93 progressive passes per 90 (top 8%) is still lower than that of Kimmich, who ranks in the top 1% with an average of 9.87 per 90 – further proof of his innate ball-playing brilliance.
Having previously been regarded as a player with the potential to “become the world’s best player” by former boss Hansi Flick, the Bayern sensation is a figure that Ten Hag would undoubtedly like to have on his books, despite his previous history with Amrabat.
