Legendary Dutch manager Dick Advocaat is convinced that Orkun Kokcu has the quality to play for Manchester United after a stunning season at Feyenoord.
Erik ten Hag’s side edged past Brighton and Hove Albion at Wembley on a tense Sunday afternoon, setting up an FA Cup final meeting with rivals Man City in early June.
Advocaat tuned into an evenly-contested goalless draw between The Seagulls and The Red Devils. And he could see a place in Ten Hag’s engine room for a man captaining Feyenoord to the Eredivisie title.
“I saw Manchester United (against Brighton),” Advocaat tells Veronica Inside. “He could have easily (played in that game).”
Manchester United like Feyenoord captain Orkun Kokcu
Kokcu, who played under Advocaat at De Kuip prior to the arrival of Arne Slot, has taken his game to a whole new level in 2022/23. The Dutch-born Turkey international has scored 12 goals and set up five more; the beating heart of this Feyenoord midfield after transitioning from a slinking number ten into a metronomic, deep-lying playmaker.
According to Rotterdam-based publication 1908, Man United are keeping tabs on the £40 million-rated Kokcu.
For all the qualities of Christian Eriksen, Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro, a press-resistant playmaker capable of breaking the lines from deep while turning defence into attack with a slaloming run could be key to helping Ten Hag instil his free-flowing, possession-based style at Old Trafford.
Kokcu shares a lot in common with another midfielder who has featured highly on United’s radar over the last 12 months ago; Ten Hag’s former Ajax talisman Frenkie de Jong.
Advocaat, meanwhile, believes that Kokcu’s decision to represent Turkey at international level was a blow to the Netherlands. The 22-year-old, he says, is ‘better’ than any of the midfielders currently at Ronald Koeman’s disposal.
And that may include De Jong.
“He’s better than the guys who play in midfield (for the Netherlands now),” Advocaat adds. “He’s a very dominant player. He does very little wrong.”
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
