Manchester United suffered their first Premier League defeat of the 2023/24 campaign over the weekend, losing 2-0 to a revitalised Tottenham Hotspur side
There were several poor performances throughout, with summer arrival Mason Mount failing to generate the spark that Erik ten Hag required during the match, as he completed only 15 accurate passes.
Could this poor performance tempt the Dutchman back into the transfer market and sign another midfielder?
The Red Devils are showing interest in a current Paris Saint-Germain gem.
Will Manchester United sign anyone else?
The Old Trafford side were in the hunt for a new defender, being linked with Marc Guehi and Benjamin Pavard of late, yet with Harry Maguire seeing a move to West Ham United fall through, it appears as though Ten Hag is looking at bolstering other areas of his team.
According to French news outlet L’Equipe (as relayed by Get Football News France), United have shown interest in midfielder Marco Verratti, who appears free to leave PSG this summer.
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They will face stiff competition from Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich for his signature, though, so his 11-year stay in the French capital seems to be coming to an end.
During the early stages of the window, it looked as though Verratti was moving to Saudi Arabia, yet PSG and Al-Hilal couldn’t agree on a fee, and it looks as though he could be available for €60m (£51m).
How good is Marco Verratti?
The Italian international joined the French side back in 2012 and has since emerged as one of the finest midfielders on the continent. During his 11 years at PSG, he has won a plethora of trophies, including nine Ligue 1 titles while making over 400 appearances for the club.
The 30-year-old was once dubbed “the only genuine talent in Italian football at the minute” by Gianluigi Buffon a few years ago and the midfielder is also statistically similar to current Chelsea starlet Moises Caicedo.
The Ecuadorian just broke the British transfer record by joining the Blues in a £115m move and according to FBref, the former Brighton & Hove Albion machine is the third-most similar player across Europe’s top five leagues to Verratti.
Given his meteoric rise and wonderful performances for Brighton and Hove Albion over the previous 12 months, it isn’t a bad comparison and Ten Hag could land his own Caicedo by signing the PSG star.
Last season, both Verratti and Caicedo registered similar statistics with regard to pass completion percentage (92.6% v 88.5%), tackles won (51 v 58), successful take-on percentage (54.7% v 51.9) and shot-creating actions (83 v 88).
This demonstrates they are both wonderful passers and can also generate plenty of scoring opportunities while not neglecting their defensive duties and this is something United urgently require at the heart of their midfield.
WhoScored also suggests that both Verratti and Caicedo excel at passing and tackling, meaning they are excellent players to have to dictate the play and win the ball back often.
Caicedo will get the chance to prove his worth by starring for Chelsea in the coming years, yet the Italian has been doing it for years at PSG.
Luring him to Manchester may give Ten Hag – and his engine room – the boost that he desperately needs.
