Manchester United are in a position where they need to look for loans and bargains to strengthen their squad while needing a rebuild at the same time.
It’s an unenviable position Ruben Amorim finds himself in, with the club needing to prioritise which positions they need to strengthen first.
That led to United talking with Lecce for Patrick Dorgu, who is expected to become the first signing under Amorim if all goes well.
However, the fee for Dorgu, expected to be around £35 million, is hardly a “drop in the ocean” for a club suffering from a drought.
Fortunately, an £18 million bargain has just entered the transfer market which ticks all of Ineos‘ philosophies while being perfect for Ruben Amorim’s system.
Man Utd can land this window’s biggest bargain
Manchester United are correctly targeting the left wing-back position as a matter of urgent priority but if Alejandro Garnacho is sold, their window will become extremely active.
As it is, Marcus Rashford’s exclusion plus Garnacho not fitting into the system has led to a shortage of options for the two No. 10 spots behind the striker.
It can be argued that even the two players occupying those spots are needed more elsewhere. Bruno Fernandes‘ ball progression is needed in the deeper role and Amad has done brilliantly as a right wing-back.
Therefore, reinforcements are needed for that No. 10 position and it just so happens that United can get one of world football’s top talents for just £18 million this January.
Rayan Cherki has a verbal agreement with Olympique Lyon to leave the club for €22.5 million this January, with the French wonderkid eager to leave the club.
Cherki broke through in French football as a remarkably talented teenager who was the toast of his country for a while.
He even had Kylian Mbappe exclaiming, “You shouldn’t talk to him too much about age, eh,” after Cherki put in a talismanic performance for Lyon aged just 16.
Rayan Cherki is an attacking wizard
Amorim has clearly laid out his demands from the No. 10s in his system. They need to be brave on the ball and be able to unlock defences instead of relying on pure pace to play on transitions.
In Cherki, he will have the perfect lock-picker in the mold of Amad that will help United get over its biggest weakness- breaking down a deep block.
As seen in the chart below, Cherki is an attacking wizard who lives to create chances, be it through his progressive passing or his mazy dribbling.
That is the kind of player United just don’t have in the team outside of Amad and a declining Christian Eriksen who shows in spurts what United are missing.
He can be a bit of a defensive liability but that has more to do with what he’s needed for at Lyon than a judgement on his effort and application.
He looks like the consummate Amorim player who can be molded into a world-beater with the correct coaching. Cherki has all the raw tools and limitless potential to make an impact.
For just €22.5 million, that’s a generational bargain.
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