Manchester United transfer rumour: No fairytale return for Patrice Evra as Mourinho eyes Kostas Manolas
What’s the story?
English daily, The Sun claim that Jose Mourinho has been keeping a close eye on Roma player Kostas Manolas after Manchester United’s move for Benfica player Victor Lindelof after transfer talks with the player broke down. The reports say that Mourinho is impressed with the Greek player’s performance as a centre back and has bid a mammoth figure of £32.5m for the player.
Several reports also say that United’s interest in Patrice Evra has diminished as the manager believes that it is not an area of immediate concern. Mourinho believes that Evra is past his best and it would be wiser to go with the current crop of players at the position.
In case you didn’t know...
Kostas Manolas is a highly rated Greek defender who plays for AS Roma. For a 25-year-old, he has displayed extreme maturity and understanding with respect to the defensive side of the game. The player has football running in his family and is the nephew of Greek legend Stelios who had made 71 appearances for the side. Manolas has been at Roma since 2014 and has attracted the eyeballs of quite a few clubs after putting on some solid displays.
The heart of the matter
Jose Mourinho has been in the transfer market for some time now and has finally narrowed it down to Manolas, who he believes would be the ideal player to have in the centre of the backline. The centre back commands a massive physical presence and is built like a rock, much to the delight of Mourinho who wants a physical player to be at the helm of things.
Manolas is an aggressive player and will surely be a defender that will be feared if he makes the move to United. Several pundits have often compared him to former United defender Nemanja Vidic since he commands a similar field presence like the Serbian.
Manolas has also come under criticism in the past for having lapses in concentration which can cost a team heavily, especially in the Premier League where the game goes extremely fast.
What next?
This is not the first time that United have bee linked to the Greek defender. Last September, Manolas’ agent claimed that the Red Devils had been keeping tabs on the Roma player and had shown interest in the player. The transfer looks only likely if the Greek is promised a first team role that he commands at Roma, where he has started all games this season.
Sportskeeda’s take
There is no doubt that United are in the transfer market looking for a centre-back who could provide defensive stability to the team. In the absence of Eric Bailly, the likeliness of the transfer only increases. Jose Fonte’s recent revelation regarding his transfer situation means that the Portuguese also has a chance to feature in the Manchester United jersey. It is now up to Jose Mourinho to decide who would be a better fit for the team.