All eyes were on Jose Mourinho yesterday as he gave his first press conference as Manchester United manager. Nothing changes, it seems.
But it was, at least, an interesting press conference. As well dropping jibes at the likes of Arsene Wenger and Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho told the world that he has four key transfer targets this summer.
After asking his press officer 'how many signings were already official, two or three?' he was told two: Eric Bailly and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The third is supposedly Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but the fourth is a little less obvious.
Whilst Manchester United fans will be starting to dream about who their promised fourth signing of the summer will be, we’ve narrowed the list down to FIVE potential targets, and according to the newspaper reports we’ve been reading, the likelihood is that Mourinho will be targeting another midfielder.
Manchester United fans would you be happy with any of these? Or does your side need strengthening in a different area?
Paul Pogba
The overwhelming favourite is Juventus and France midfielder Paul Pogba.
He was one of the hottest prospects of the Manchester United academy at one point, but their fabled youth set-up hasn’t produced as many top talents in recent years, and that may have to do with the pressure in the game these days, where managers just find it too difficult to pick youth players who can cope with the pressures and the demands in such a results-driven business.
But Pogba clearly is a top-class youth graduate, though he is also one who is a victim of the declining abilities of top Premier League clubs to produce their own youth players. He was consequently let go and could be brought back for a hefty fee.
He’s not quite the finished article just yet, but he is clearly a big talent who would be an asset to any team - and at 23, he has lots of room to improve.
Blaise Matuidi
Another French midfielder with bags of energy, Blaise Matuidi has also been linked with Manchester United in recent days.
The PSG midfielder was reported to have flown to England from the French EURO 2016 camp in Clairefontaine to finalise a move.
He would add energy to a Manchester United midfield that looked slow and ageing at times last season, with the likes of Michael Carrick and Bastian Schweinsteiger better suited to playing alongside a player who will do most of their running and covering for them.
Nemanja Matic
A Jose Mourinho favourite.
It always seems to happen when a manager moves club: the newspapers link him to his old players, especially in problem positions. In this case, Nemanja Matic.
It’s not overly strange to hear Matic’s name in relation to Manchester United this summer, though, as he is that kind of defensive midfielder that would slot straight into the team and allow United to give a little bit of freedom to someone like Wayne Rooney to roam in behind the striker.
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N’Golo Kante
Leicester City midfielder N'Golo Kante is another defensive midfielder who Manchester United have been linked with in recent weeks - and he is another French midfielder who would add a lot of energy to Manchester United’s midfield.
Kante had a stunning season with champions Leicester last season and he’s even been on form for France at EURO 2016. Every time Kante steps up a level, he just keeps looking perfectly at home. A move to Manchester United, then, wouldn’t daunt him, and he has already shown he can be effective in the Premier League - he still plays for the champions, after all.
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Marek Hamsik
We’ll end on a bit of a left-field choice for Jose Mourinho, but reports suggest that the new Manchester United manager is interested in taking Marek Hamsik to Old Trafford.
The Slovakian playmaker looked the part at EURO 2016 whilst playing for Slovakia and his ability to find space in a crowded midfield area, as well as his willingness to get on the ball and lead his team, were evident.
United could do with buying the sort of player who wants the ball and is confident when he gets it - and remember, Jose Mourinho won the league only two seasons ago with a player like that, Cesc Fabregas, playing in a deeper role than many expected.
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