Pogba's heir: Man Utd swoop for "powerful and technical" youngster can build new era - opinion

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to ESPN, Manchester United are interested in signing Lille prospect Boubakary Soumare.

What’s the word?

The Red Devils let go of both Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini this calendar year, but have failed to bring in any midfield replacements for the duo.

Now, ESPN claim Soumare has been followed by United for a number of years, and that the Red Devils are now “ready to get the ball rolling to try to recruit him before anyone else”. The report adds that the club sees the 20-year-old prodigy as a potential heir to Paul Pogba, and that he has impressed the Old Trafford hierarchy with his “activity, physicality, and technical skills for someone of his size”.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

In addition, it is suggested Soumare also ticks United’s remit of signing young, talented players, and that with his contract running out next summer, a deal could get done.

Pogba’s heir

After all the drama in the summer regarding the long-term future of Pogba, it was perhaps quite the surprise to see the France World Cup winner ending up remaining at Old Trafford beyond the transfer deadline. The 26-year-old made it very clear that he is keen on trying a new challenge, and so there no doubt would have been some kind of contingency plan put in place by United.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

And one man who could certainly fill the shoes of the former Juventus star, is Soumare. Standing at 6 foot 2, the 20-year-old is a physical presence, and has a dynamism to his game that is very similar to Pogba. In his three Champions League games for Lille this season, the midfielder has averaged 1.7 tackles, two interceptions, 0.7 shots, one key pass and 2.7 dribbles per game. Exactly the kind of all-action displays United may have thought they were getting when they brought Pogba back to Old Trafford.

Indeed, after seeing Soumare sign a three-year contract with the French side a couple of years ago, Lille’s CEO Marc Ingla exclaimed: “He is a powerful and technical player who can evolve to several positions in the field. His maturity pleased us even if we must not forget that he is only 18 years old.”

So if Pogba does eventually make his exit from United, the Red Devils must be proactive and sign the player who could quite conceivably be the man to replace him.

from FootballFanCast.com https://ift.tt/3243UMw