I’ve been saying it for a while now and I’ll say it again ‘Playing Fred consistently won’t secure Manchester United silverware’.

That’s not to say that the Brazilian doesn’t possess qualities. He’s an ideal squad player but he isn’t a difference maker.

For me, Man United still need that energetic ball winning midfielder that will dismantle opposition attacks.

I’d suggest that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his recruitment team take a closer look at Brighton & Hove Albion star Yves Bissouma.

The Malian has been a mainstay in the Brighton team in the past few seasons and the box-to-box midfield man gives his all on every occasion.

His performances this term have seen the twenty-four year old being linked with a move to either Arsenal or Leicester City (Source – The Mirror), yet United could be well positioned to swoop in and make the African a potential summer signing.

The Seagulls’ man is a dynamic midfielder who seems to cover every blade of grass. He’s an intelligent competitor, can carry and keep the ball and is a player who looks to still have the ability to step up and become even better in the right environment.

Yves clearly likes a tackle, he completes on average 2.7 per Premier League game. He also makes 1.6 interceptions and 1.5 clearances (Stats via Whoscored).

No Red Devils midfielder has managed to make more tackles than the Brighton man, only Fred can compete with him in terms of interceptions and again Bissouma is better than any United midfielder in terms of clearances.

Bissouma is also very tidy on the ball, making almost 50 passes per league outing and completing a healthy 86.7% of them. Only Nemanja Matic beats Yves when it comes to combined passing stats but it should be noted that the Malian international has made more than double the starts compared to the Serbian.

Bissouma developed his skill-set at Lille OSC, and we know that the Les Douges have a proven history in nurturing potential talented players who go on and become top stars.

There’s still areas that could be improved upon. Yves Bissouma could be adding more goals to his game. He can hit a wonder strike from time to time but I think he has the smarts and the engine to be able to make more decisive late runs into the box.

He could also do with being slightly better when it comes to receiving cards. The middle-man has picked up six yellows and a red this term.

The player certainly enjoys the backing of his current boss Graham Potter, who believes Yves can go to the very top of the game:

‘The best Bissouma can play in the Champions League, absolutely. He’s got that quality, those attributes you need at that level. It’s about being consistent.’

Graham Potter January 2021 Via Daily Mail

I think Potter and the Seagulls are of the mind that they should enjoy Yves Bissouma while he’s still at The Amex. The big teams do seem to be circling.

For Manchester United his signing would represent a more dynamic and balanced midfield.

The Red Devils have a big summer ahead of them. They’ll no doubt want to challenge for top honours during the 2021/22 season and to do that they will need to strength and do so as quickly as possible.

I believe Yves Bissouma could be an important part of that as long as Man United go after the player.

Posted on March 23rd, 2021 by scott
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