Manchester United have been playing an attacking brand of football since the arrival of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Solskjaer was also named the manager of the month in January. The 3-1 win over Crystal Palace set up a new club record for Manchester United, with the red devils recording 8/8 away wins in all competitions.
With Solskjaer all set to land the dream job, here are the following players he is keeping a close eye on. Under the Norwegian, Manchester United have more points than any other Premier League team, but there are few check-boxes that are still left to be ticked.
talkSPORT, in an exclusive report, has revealed the three players Manchester United will be looking to buy before the start of next season.
A right-back, centre-half and central midfielder are on the club’s agenda
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#3. Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Aaron Wan-Bissaka won Crystal Palace's Player of the Month award for March 2018 after his first month of first-team football. Arsenal is also vying for the right-back but United seem to be going all-out for the Crystal Palace's right-back.
With Valencia's contract expiring and Diogo Dalot not making much of an impact, the need of a right-back is indispensable. Wan-Bissaka has made 25 Premier League appearances this year, outshining previous first-choice right-back Joel Ward in every relevant metric. He has been the first choice right-back for the manager Roy Hodgson.
Stats in the 2018/19 season (Premier League)
Starts - 25
Errors leading to goal - 0
Tackles made - 96
Tackle success % - 69
Duels won - 186
Duels lost - 89
Interceptions - 59
Clearances - 79
Headed Clearance - 36
Fouls - 17
Yellow Card - 4
Red Card - 1
#2. Kalidou Koulibaly
Jose Mourinho’s top defensive transfer target, the Napoli central defender could be an ideal match to Lindelof. Koulibaly is lightning fast and is excellent in the air due to his height. With defence being the first line of attack, his speed could come in handy for United.
Manchester United have been quoted a price of more than £90m for the Senegal international according to a report. This would be a record signing for a defender (set by Liverpool when they signed Virgil Van Dijk) if United make this through.
In the 40 appearances he has made this year across competitions, he has averaged 1.9 tackles, 3.8 clearances, and 1 block every game.
On being asked about the move to Manchester United, he looked 'happy', as he diplomatically said, "My future? I don’t know if I’m one of the strongest defenders. I always try to give my best. Since I’m here, I always try to grow with Napoli. I have a lot of motivation to go on and I want to keep doing this."
"I am pleased that many teams follow me, but I want to demonstrate on the field that I am at the level of the greatest and I want to show it in the future."
#1. Ivan Rakitic
Solskjaer, who is set to land the permanent job at Old Trafford, seems to be targeting the Barcelona play-maker Ivan Rakitic.
The addition of Rakitic would further free up Pogba, who has been a revelation under Solskjaer. Rakitic is also an attack-oriented player, who could be a perfect fit under the Norwegian. The World Cup finalist said, "I have three more years on my contract [until 2021]. I want to stay here. I’m flattered that big clubs ask about me, if they do, but I only see myself at Barcelona". However, United hope to lure Rakitic with a money-spinning transfer.
Rakitic has won all major trophies with Barcelona. He also won the Champions League title in 2014-15. The Croatian possesses a winning mindset and is a big match player. This is one of the major factors why United would be going all guns blazing to bring the Barcelona midfielder to Old Trafford.
Since the arrival of Solskjaer, Manchester United are on a roll with 2 draws and 1 defeat (to PSG) in the 15 games they have played across competitions. The transfer window closes in August, and if United manage to land their targets right, they could be back in the title race next year.