Warren Zaire-Emery appears to be a strong fit as Manchester United’s third midfield signing this summer.
Manchester United’s next mission in the transfer window is to find a third midfield signing to follow the arrivals of Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans.
There have been concrete links to PSG midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery, who has been on United’s radar since early 2023.
Zaire-Emery is described as a “dream” signing for United because of his profile, and one of his underrated strengths is his running power.
WHO will be Man Utd’s THIRD midfielder signing to go with Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans? Who do you want?
Which midfielder do you think would fit United's rebuild best? What do we need next?
Warren Zaire-Emery outran Declan Rice at the World Cup
United’s interest in Zaire-Emery was reported this summer just days after the 20-year-old was in action for France in the World Cup third-place play-offs.
England won 6-4 against France with United forward Marcus Rashford impressing for the Three Lions.
But for France, Zaire-Emery was one of their standout performers in midfield, earning a higher rating than his midfield partners Rayan Cherki and Adrien Rabiot according to SofaScore.
Their statistical analysis also shows that Zaire-Emery covered an impressive 11 kilometres in that game, a distance only beaten by Michael Olise.
Zaire-Emery was up against Arsenal’s Declan Rice in midfield and he outran the England star by 0.8km. The French midfielder also recorded a higher level of high-speed running than Rice.
What is your verdict on Kobbie Mainoo pulling out of England’s third place playoff fixture with an ‘injury’…
Why Warren Zaire-Emery’s running power is important
United’s midfield rebuild has been focused on bringing in classy technicians so far, in the shape of Santos and Tielemans.
To balance out Michael Carrick’s options, United need a defensive-minded, ground-eating midfielder to arrive as the third signing.
The top target was Aurelien Tchouameni, but Zaire-Emery looks like a fantastic alternative because of his running power.
READ MORE: Man Utd signing Aurelien Tchouameni or Eduardo Camavinga now relies on a Man City decision
Carrick is going to need a midfielder who isn’t afraid to do the dirty work and cover for the likes of Tielemans or Kobbie Mainoo when they roam forward.
Zaire-Emery’s duelling stats and his defensive workrate suggests he would be a perfect fit.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
