Would Torino winger Alessio Cerci be perfect for Manchester United?

Alessio Cerci

The problems are rife on Manchester United’s wings. It is obvious by now that David Moyes does not have a clue who are the best wide-men in his squad. Their wingers have been rotated in-and-out of the team on a regular basis so far this season. Nani, Antonio Valencia, and Ashley Young have all been tried, as have the make-shift duo of Danny Welbeck and Shinji Kagawa, whilst Wilfried Zaha has not got a look-in. In fact, 18-year-old Adnan Januzaj has surprisingly emerged as the most consistent of all Moyes’ options.

One man who could solve the issues is Alessio Cerci, who is currently flourishing for Torino in Serie A. His situation could not be more different to United’s current crop of wingers. Cerci knows he is first-choice, he is high on confidence and has been performing consistently well all season, so surely Moyes should take a look at the re-vitalised Italian?

Only Giuseppe Rossi (9) has scored more goals than Cerci (8) in Serie A this season.

Alessio Cerci Goals Scored

He is a similar player to Arjen Robben, playing predominantly from the right with licence to cut inside and shoot on sight. Despite his left-foot being much stronger than his right, Cerci is difficult to stop and is a very accurate shooter. The Italian has hit the target with 70% of his 23 shots this season, with only four of them going wide of the post or over the bar. He has a total of 16 shots on target and has hit the woodwork three times.

Alessio Cerci Shot Accuracy

Cerci is an extremely direct winger when he receives the ball, who loves to run at opposing full-backs at every opportunity. He has attempted 49 take-ons, winning 53% of them and has suffered 19 fouls too. This positivity is something that United’s established wingers have lacked this season.

Alessio Cerci Take-ons

Cerci has created 12 chances this season, which is more than all of United’s wide options. His tally of three assists is more than Nani, Valencia, Young, Kagawa, Welbeck and Januzaj put together.

Despite preferring to cut inside onto his left-foot, Cerci is also capable of beating his man on the outside too. He is deceptively quick and is very unpredictable when in possession of the ball. A quick glance at where he has created his chances this season shows that he has created 50% of his chances from the wing and 50% from central areas. This unpredictability would be extremely welcome if United were to show interest in the Italian winger.

Alessio Cerci Chances Created

The lack of natural wingers in Italy means that on this form, Cerci is almost shoe-in to make their World Cup squad. Despite it not being a priority for Moyes, United need to sell some of their out-of-form wingers soon and bring in some fresh new blood who are capable of the unpredictable. Cerci comes under that category and would be an excellent acquisition for the Red Devils should they become interested.