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The 2018 World Cup has seen a huge number of underrated players play to their potential. It has been a tournament of witnessing exciting players, young or old, become the stars they were predicted to be. The likes of Kylian Mbappe and Luka Modric, who stole the show with their performances during the whole tournament ,will surely be a terrific signing for any club in the whole of Europe. But it won’t come easy. It is rather important to clubs to buy players with a certain quality, rather than buy players for the sake of it.
Particularly for Manchester United, the reason that they should sign any player must be for improving the overall performances of the team. The unending rumours of Gareth Bale being courted by the Manchester United chief Ed Woodward should come as no surprise for the fans. And there is no doubt that he will be the ‘galactico’ signing that the United fans crave for. It is normal for fans to crave the signing of a superstar, but at the moment, the important task for Manchester United as a whole is to bring back the old swagger and buy players that are needed to charge to the top of the league next season.
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The form of Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, and Marouane Fellaini amongst others during the World Cup will have made Jose Mourinho slightly satisfied. And the quality new signings Fred, Diogo Dalot and Lee Grant will surely improve United's squad for next season. But at the same time, Mourinho has intently watched the action in Russia during his role as a pundit, and surely must have handpicked some players for Ed Woodward to sign who could improve his squad for next season. So, here are three players from the World Cup who can surely improve his problem positions.
#3 Lucas Hernandez
Full-back is one of the key positions Mourinho believes has to be improved if United are to catch their rivals next season. He has already bought Diogo Dalot, who can play in both the full-back positions. But the fact is that he is untested in the high level games and Antonio Valencia is showing his true value in the right-back position. Luke Shaw also appears to have been resurrected, but the manager will want assurances from him after some lacklustre performances last season. So, Mourinho may need to buy again in the left-back position. And with Lucas Hernandez playing brilliantly en route to the World Cup win, he can surely improve Jose Mourinho’s squad for next season.
With Hernandez’s work rate and the teammates surrounding him, it merely makes him as easy to forget as any low profile player. He wasn't tested as much as some of the other full backs at the tournament, but he rarely put a foot wrong and made big contributions going forward. People rarely noticed him making mistakes, while he quietly did his job of defending against some big players like Lionel Messi and Kevin De Bruyne. His balance of going forward and defending at the same time must have pleased Mourinho during the World Cup. Winning aerial duels is also a huge plus point of Hernandez’s that Mourinho will surely love to add to his squad.
Although it will be quite difficult for Manchester United to prize him away from Atletico Madrid, the lure of playing regular football and the riches of the Premier League will be hard to reject. What United need at the moment is a left-back and Lucas Hernandez will be a perfect match for them after some exciting performances during the World Cup.
#2 Ivan Perisic
Manchester United’s right-wing problem dates back to Sir Alex Ferguson’s last season, when Antonio Valencia was weighed down by the number seven shirt. Nani seemed erratic, while David Moyes entrusted young Adnan Januzaj to the role until he left. Angle Di Maria flunked in the position for a season, while the failed transfers of Sadio Mane and Pedro intensified supporters’ concern. Mourinho accommodated Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in right-wing only for them to prefer the number 10 role. But last year’s interest in Ivan Perisic was as apt as any transfer decisions could be.
Ivan Perisic prefers the left-wing role currently occupied by Alexis Sanchez, but he can also play on the right-wing with as efficiency as he plays on the left-wing. Perisic performed enterprisingly for Inter Milan in Serie A last season. Also the fact is that his performances for his nation Croatia have not gone unnoticed during the World Cup. With three goals and an assist to his name, he was arguably the second best player for them after Luka Modric. A trait that Mourinho definitely likes in Perisic is that he is equally competent in both attack and defence, helping out in the defensive third when it is required.
It is urgent that United solve their problem position for it can surely improve their squad. Inevitably, when it comes to Gareth Bale, United would surely have to flex their financial muscle to eventually land him. So, the time is right for United to pounce on the attainable target Ivan Perisic while he is in form.
#1 Raphael Varane
Even though Manchester United has a host of defenders currently on contract, the United boss, Jose Mourinho, remains keen on signing a centre back this transfer window. That seems like an odd decision given United have bought a centre back in each of the last two summer windows. This brings us to the point of how much Jose Mourinho trusts his defenders. The uncertainty in the form of Victor Lindelof and Phil Jones last season, and the injury of Eric Bailly must have prompted Mourinho to pursue another high profile centre back signing. And one name is on top of Mourinho’s list of centre backs: Raphael Varane.
The abundance of intelligence, speed, athleticism, composure and maturity is what made Varane a top class centre back. Varane has grown in so many ways since arriving at Real Madrid. He has matured into an excellent all round defender with elite technical skill and intelligence to go along with his obvious physical gifts. Fresh from winning both the Champions League and the World Cup, and establishing himself as a leader for his country, there will be an argument to be made for Varane being the best central defender in the world. And Manchester United will surely be in line for his signature.
The fact that United missed out on signing Varane during his teenage years will only make them desperate to correct the mistake they did many years ago. And after the form of his life during the World Cup, Ed Woodward will definitely need to unlock the Manchester United vault to prize him away from Real Madrid.
