CONFIRMED – Man Utd set to agree deal to sign their next Di Maria in “unplayable” £61m star forward

CONFIRMED – Man Utd set to agree deal to sign their next Di Maria in “unplayable” £61m star forward

For the standards of such a prestigious club like Manchester United, Erik ten Hag’s side have been dreadful, with Tuesday night’s exit from the Champions League and finishing last in Group A summing up their season so far.

The Red Devils have already lost seven games in the Premier League, just two less than their entire loss tally last season in the top flight. Furthermore, they have lost three of their last four matches in all competitions, failing to score in each defeat.

With that in mind and Antony, Jadon Sancho, and Facundo Pellistri unable to secure the right-wing spot in the United team – the trio all failing to score this season – Ten Hag may be forced to scan the transfer market for a solution.

Man Utd transfers latest – Raphinha
According to Sport via TEAMtalk, Ten Hag wants to complete a swap deal for Raphinha, with Sancho going the other way.

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The Barcelona winger has only started five La Liga matches this season, but he is willing to fight for his place in Catalonia, and he is uninterested in a move away.

The Brazilian currently has a transfer market value of £52m, whereas Sancho is valued at £28m, making the swap deal unrealistic and extremely unlikely, especially with his current club said to be demanding €70m (£61m).

Raphinha’s style of play
The 26-year-old took the Premier League by storm when he joined Leeds United in 2020, scoring 17 goals and registering 12 assists across two seasons.

Raphinha was “unplayable” in a Leeds shirt, according to AllLeedsTV presenter Oscar Marrio, and he was without doubt the standout player in a relatively poor team. This season for Barcelona, he has seven goal contributions in just 15 games.

The Brazilian could become the next South American left-footed winger to join Manchester United from a La Liga giant, following in the footsteps of Angel Di Maria.

The duo have the ability to create a piece of magic from nothing on a football field, and they also possess similar traits, as shown in the table below.

As you can see, the wingers are both creative masterminds who can progress the play through passing and create chances for their teammates, which is exactly what United are missing currently on the right, with Antony failing to register an assist in 17 appearances for his side this season.

Raphinha is a player who loves to take on responsibility, whether it is creating or attempting to score himself.

Although it is displayed by the stats above, such as his shots total and xA, his competitive must-win attitude and relentless mentality would instantly improve Ten Hag’s side, in a similar way to how Alejandro Garnacho approaches the game on the left.

There is no question that Raphinha would be a great addition to the Manchester United attack, but the fears may be that a repeat scenario to that of Di Maria could occur, with the Argentine lasting just one season at Old Trafford following his £60m switch from Real Madrid.

Man Utd could sign Matic 2.0 who’s “streets ahead of McTominay”
Of course, Raphinha has prior experience in English football, unlike the current Benfica star, yet getting burned by another high-profile La Liga signing should not be high on United’s agenda – either in January or over the summer.