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Ole’s at the wheel: How much better can it feel for United?

Qasim Mujtaba Naqvi·
Manchester United
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Options at right-wing: Pricey but necessary

The ex-City starlet who went to Germany: Jadon Sancho – Borussia Dortmund (estimated price: £100 million at the very least)

Jadon Sancho was a highly rated winger who came through at Watford and then Manchester City before signing his first pro contract at Dortmund last year. Since then, he has been on fire. At the time of writing he has more assists (13) than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues. He has the third most goals (8) for any U21 player as well. Moreover, Sancho has already broken through to the England set-up, and is friends with United youngsters Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard. Sancho attempts 4.8 dribbles a game, almost double of any United player, and completes 3.1 of those. He’s also created more chances than, you guessed it, any current United player this season. By all means, he should be United’s number one transfer target this year. He would solve the right-wing issue and possibly ply his trade with the club for years to come. Not to mention that City fans would lose it seeing their youth export line up for their greatest rivals. Surely, this is a deal too good to miss for United and Ole?

The perennial link: Antoine Griezmann – Atletico Madrid (estimated price: £88 million)

Griezmann follows the Varane narrative quite a bit. A club unwilling to sell, a player who feels he’s done all he could, and Manchester United lurking in the background for him like they have for years. He’s an outside bet that could become reality for United fans. A bona fide superstar, he could add to the French group at United in Pogba and Martial, and provide real quality on either wing or centrally. Unlike Sancho, Griezmann has also proven himself time and again on the biggest stage. He was part of the World Cup winning French squad, and was Player of the Tournament at the 2016 Euros. His head has apparently turned, but he recently signed a new contract at Atlético, and it is rumoured his personal preference is Barcelona. That in no way means Manchester United shouldn’t try to get him though.

The scouted one: Hirving “Chucky” Lozano – PSV Eindhoven (estimated price: £35 million)

Lozano is a strange one. He was touted to be a RW player for United fairly long ago since the Olympics in 2016. There were murmurs that United have been scouting him ever since he was 18 and that former United striker Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez has told him recently of pushing hard for the move to Old Trafford. Yet the supposed interest has never progressed to a concrete bid. He continues to be outstanding for PSV in the Dutch league, and many European outlets feel Lozano is holding out for a dream move to Manchester post after another great World Cup for the Mexican winger. Already adored by many United fans, the gaping hole on the right wing may lead to 2019-20 being the year Chucky finally gets his move to Old Trafford.

The recently-emerged FIFA God: Nicolas Pepe – Lille (estimated price: £40 million)

Nicolas Pepe has suddenly come up on the right-wing in the French league this season, with his output ranking him the 5th best player in Europe on WhoScored’s rankings. A left-footed right-winger, Pepe likes cutting in and curling shots and crosses again and again for Lille, and is the epitome of the modern inverted winger. But that’s not all: Pepe possesses a raw burst of pace and swirling dribbling that goes on for days. The 23-year old has 20 goals and 9 assists from 37 appearances this season, and provides a genuine threat. However, it is noteworthy that Pepe does lose the ball fairly often, which puts his covering right-back under pressure, getting dispossessed thrice a game. That being said, he is an exciting prospect who promises to improve if worked upon. If that means the Ivorian needs to go to United, newspapers believe Ole Gunnar Solskjær and his team will have no issue with it. What happens next will be a curious story to follow, as Pepe has invited interest from other elite clubs such as Bayern Munich too.

That ends a fairly long introspection into which players United and Ole could look to sign in the summer. It promises to be an exciting time for United fans. If you have anything to say, do comment!