Ruben Amorin might have received the statement victory of his short tenure so far against Manchester City but that shouldn’t take away from the scale of the job on his hands.
The Manchester United squad is still very much in transition, as evidenced by Amorim dropping Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford for the derby.
There are multiple expiring contracts on the table, like Victor Lindelof and Christian Eriksen, while several others are yet to impress the Man Utd manager consistently.
The focus, therefore, is having one eye on the next summer window, the first proper one with a settled manager and an ownership structure.
Juventus’ breakout star Kenan Yildiz figures to be the talk of that window from United’s perspective and the player has broken his silence on his plans next year.
Kenan Yildiz on transfer plans next year
Yildiz has had a true breakout year this season for Juventus under the leadership of Thiago Motta, who has trusted the 19-year-old with a regular first-team role.
The Turkish international was on the fringes of the senior team after joining from Bayern Munich as a highly-rated prospect but Motta immediately took a shine to him.
He has scored thrice and laid on three assists in 16 league appearances, playing 78% of all available minutes, with a goal and assist in six league appearances to match in Europe.
His two-footedness makes him a nightmare to defend against and his positional versatility- he can play on the left or behind the striker, makes him an ideal fit for Ruben Amorim’s tactical structure.
Paul Scholes recently praised Yildiz for his exploits in the Champions League so he’s slowly gaining stature at the international stage as well.
Yildiz has been linked to Man Utd and the player has now broken his silence on his plans for next year-
Yildiz said: “I’m happy at Juventus! Next year? I see myself here to fight for more titles as a Juventus player.”
It is understandable that Yildiz wants to stay at the club that has facilitated his breakout, especially grateful to Thiago Motta who has started a long-term project in Turin.
However, it might just be a blessing in disguise for United, who should have thought twice about targeting him in the first place.
Yildiz snub blessing in disguise for Man Utd transfer plans
Yildiz is undoubtedly a talented prospect with a world-class ceiling but in terms of squad needs, a player who prefers to play on the left but can play behind the striker is the least of the club’s problems.
There’s a gaping hole at left wing-back, the midfield will need attention due to Casemiro’s age and Eriksen’s contract situation, and the striker situation might need to be addressed if Joshua Zirkzee doesn’t thrive and that’s without even mentioning the impending overhaul in defence.
Furthermore, United are already seeing with Zirkzee that a player who flourished in an extremely specific Thiago Motta system might not translate his form to Old Trafford.
At just 19, Yildiz is also not a wise bet financially, with so many exciting young talents in United’s own academy very deserving of a chance.
Ultimately, Amorim’s system has space for only three out-and-out attackers and as it stands, there are already at least seven contenders for it, not counting academy players.
Adding another, and a raw one at that, wouldn’t have made sense. For now, Yildiz for Juventus is far more valuable than he would be for United.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
