Croatia defender Josip Juranovic is among Manchester United’s options at right-back for the January transfer window.
The Mail and 90min reported United’s interest in the summer, with Dean Jones reporting Steve McClaren has recommended Juranovic to Erik ten Hag.
A report from the Daily Record claims Celtic defender Juranovic could cost clubs around £17 million.
So what do Manchester United fans need to know about the potential signing…
Josip Juranovic club record
Josip Juranovic signed for Celtic for a fee of £2.5million in 2021, landing him from Polish side Legia Warsaw.
Juranovic has gone on to win one Scottish Premiership title, and has helped Celtic to the top of the league this season. He has also won the Scottish League Cup.
He has made 50 appearances for Celtic at right-back, scoring six goals along the way, and he was named in the Scottish Team of the Year for 2020/21.
This also included making his Champions League debut earlier this season in the group stages of the competition.
Juranovic spent just one season at Legia Warsaw, helping them to win the Polish title in 2020/21.
Prior to this, Juranovic spent five years in his homeland at Hadjuk Split, where he made 165 appearances.
Josip Juranovic international record
Juranovic is Croatia’s first choice right-back and recently starred at the World Cup for Croatia, starting all six games including the semi-final.
The defender has 27 caps for his country, having made his Croatia debut in 2017 in a friendly against China.
Player profile
- Full name: Josip Juranovic
- Age: 27
- Height: 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
- Nationality: Croatian
- Date of birth: 16th August 1995
- Place of birth: Zagreb, France
- Position: Right-back
- Club: Celtic
Josip Juranovic contract situation
Juranovic signed a five-year deal when he joined Celtic and is under contract with the Scottish champions until June 2026.
Josip Juranovic: Celtic expert’s view
Lewis Laird of Celtic fan site 67HailHail writes: “Juranovic is a technically gifted full-back, with the ability and pace to cover the right-hand side. His first touch, even under pressure is brilliant, which may have came from his early days as a midfielder; he also took penalties at Celtic.
“Going forward, he has some great attributes and likes to cross the ball from deeper areas. But, he can also do a great job defensively and often comes out on top in 1v1 battles. If he doesn’t or gets caught out, then he has the agility and speed to catch the majority of wingers.
“As a full back he is on the smaller side, and there is the possibility of that being targeted. But, he isn’t afraid of going up for the challenge.”
Josip Juranovic: Gary Neville’s view
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville spoke highly of Juranovic after the World Cup semi-final, live on ITV.
He said: “Absolutely brilliant. Juranovic is fantastic going forward, epitomises the modern day full-back – he’s bright, he’s lively, he’s not just serving the attack – he’s contributing to it. He’s been a real presence in this tournament on the right-hand side for Croatia.”
Verdict
At a reported cost of £17 million, Juranovic could be a shrewd signing for Manchester United at right-back. The position is one where the club are looking to strengthen, to find competition for Diogo Dalot.
Many options like Denzel Dumfries or Malo Gusto would cost around £40 million. This is more than United would want to spend on a player who could just be a back-up.
Juranovic has proved his quality on the international stage and at 27, he would be ready to slot straight into Erik ten Hag’s side.
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