Manchester United will be hoping they can turn their form around this season. The Red Devils are in disappointing form under the new manager Reuben Amorimand they face an uphill battle to make something of this season.
The new man on the hot seat at Old Trafford had 15 games in chargewinning six, losing seven and drawing the remaining two.
There have been ups and downs, including a fantastic 2-1 win against Manchester City, but also a couple of disappointing defeats at home, most recently a 3-1 loss to Brighton.
As a result, United could look to bring in some new faces in the January transfer window and are reportedly targeting one attacking star.
Man United are targeting a new striker
The player in question is Real Madrid attacking midfielder Brahim Diaz. It has been a mixed season for the Moroccan international, who has suffered from injuries at times and could now leave Los Blancos.
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According to reports coming from SpainUnited ‘see the player as a top signing’ this January as they look for attacking signings to help them move up the table. The Red Devils see Diaz ‘as an ideal player who can bring creativity to the team’.
The potential price for this transfer has not been announced at the moment. However, United are believed to be ‘prepared to commit significant funds to secure his signature’.
It is currently valued at £29.5 million by Transfermarktwhich is a fee that could be used as an estimate of how much Diaz could cost United.
Why would Diaz be a good signing for Man United?
This has been an up and down season for Diaz. He has played 24 times in all competitionswith three goals and five assists so far.
However, injuries have played a part in his campaign and he has played just 1,073 minutes so far, the equivalent of just 11.9 full 90-minute games. So his eight goals and assist tallies well with his full 90 minutes.
Last season, Diaz was fantastic, plays 45 times for Madrid, he scored 12 times and registered nine assists. His performances, which included a crucial goal in the last 16 of the Champions League, may have flown under the radar compared to stars like Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham.
Controversially, a move to United for the Moroccan international would be a return to Manchester. He graduated from Manchester City’s academy and played 15 times for the club, scoring twice, both in the Carabao Cup game against Fulham.
Interestingly, he was already compared to another graduate of the City Academy, Phil Foden. During Diaz’s successful loan to AC Milan in 2022/23. argued Joleon Lescott that “if it wasn’t for young Phil Foden” he would have played for City.
In fact, the former Citizens defender explained that the Madrid star and City’s number 47 are “of a similar mould”.
That is certainly high praise given that Foden was Premier League Player of the Year in 2023/24, but it is statistics from last and this season in top football suggest that the comparison is fair.
The pair are really equal in several statistics in the last period. For example, both players averaged 0.9 goals and assists per game, with Diaz’s ability on the ball surpassing Foden’s. He averaged 3.2 completions each game, compared to the City star’s 1.5 completions per 90 minutes.
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Key statistics of Diaz vs. Foden in the 2023/24 season |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Statistics (90 each) |
Diaz |
Foden |
|
Objectives |
0.5 |
0.6 |
|
Assists |
0.4 |
0.3 |
|
Chance created |
1.7 |
2.2 |
|
Forward passes |
9 |
9.6 |
|
Download complete |
3.2 |
1.5 |
|
Download success rate |
52.88% |
50.54% |
|
Statistics from Squawka |
||
Diaz, described as a “fearless” player Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidanehe could be a great addition for United. He would bring creativity and flair to the ball, just like Foden does for City.
He could be just the signing United need to boost them and improve their results this season, which have been far from good enough so far.
