Manchester United December had a really bad month. Red devils played nine times last monthwinning just three games in that time.
One of those came at the beginning of the month against Everton, a 4-0 defeat at Old Trafford. They also won 2-1 away at Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League and achieved a famous 2-1 away win at Manchester City.
However, that was for the best Ruben Amroim page. They then lost their next four games, including a 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth and a 2-0 defeat away to relegation-threatened Wolves.
There is no doubt that United need reinforcements during January, and they have been linked with someone who could significantly improve their squad.
Man United’s January target at full-back
This is about Bournemouth winger Milos Kerkez. The 21-year-old Hungarian international has impressed for the Cherries this season and could now leave the club as early as January.
According to a report by GIVEMESPORTUnited are one of four sides interested in signing the defender this January. However, competition from the three big six awaits them Premier League rivals, namely Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.
The south coast side, who are flying in the Premier League this season, are thought to be ‘ready to play hard’ with the Red Devils and other sides interested in signing him.
Football Insider reported in December that an offer of £40 million would be the minimum required to sign the defender, but they could wait for more.
Why would Kerkez be a good signing for Man United?
Cherries boss Andoni Iraola has been full of praise for Kerkez throughout the 2024/25 campaign. At the beginning of Novemberhe explained that the young man is “solid this season”.
This is certainly reflected in his statistics. Iraola’s trust in the young defender is clear, given that he has he started it 19 times out of a possible 19 in the Premier League.
He scored once and provided two assists, both of which came in a famous 2-1 win over Manchester City.
Gary Neville has been very open about United’s need for new full-backs sooner rather than later. The legend of the Red Devils he told Sky Sports that in the transfer market the club “must start with the basics of this system, which are the side players”. The former United captain could be one person relived to see continued links with Kerkez over the last few days.
A Hungarian could be a perfect replacement for Diogo Dalotwho recently plays as a left winger. In fact, Neville was critical of the Portuguese star and Noussair Mazraoui, explaining that neither are they “very good in the attacking part of the field”. Dalot has registered only one assist in this period so far 19 Premier League games.
This is certainly cause for concern for Amor, and the statistical numbers support the theory that Kerkez would be an offensive improvement. As shown by statistics via Squawkathe gap between the two is clearly visible.
For example, the 21-year-old Cherries defender is creating an average of 1.1 chances and completing 0.9 tackles per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season. In comparison, Dalot creates just 0.8 chances each game and completes just 0.2 interceptions. The difference is big.
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Key statistics of Kerkez and Dalot compared |
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|---|---|---|
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Statistics (90 each) |
Kerkez |
Dalot |
|
Chances created |
1.1 |
0.8 |
|
Attempted crosses |
2.9 |
1.6 |
|
Crosses completed |
0.9 |
0.2 |
|
Forward passes |
14.9 |
14.9 |
|
Download success rate |
52.94% |
50% |
|
Statistics from Squawka |
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The signing of Kerkez, a flying full-back who can move up and down the left flank with ease, would appear to be an upgrade on Dalot. He’s better statistically, with more offense and an excellent motor.
Mladic has been described as “one of the best young left backs in football”. football scout Antonio Mango. That definitely seems like a player who would be a great addition to Amroim’s squad as they look to climb up to the Premier League.
