A blunder waiting to happen? Mourinho must avoid signing this £27m midfielder at all costs

Manchester United would commit a blunder by signing Lorenzo Pellegrini

According to The Sun, Manchester United are ready to trigger Roma starlet Lorenzo Pellegrini’s £27 million release clause in January as Jose Mourinho is keen to bring the Italian international to the Old Trafford.

The Sun also claims that the club officials have held talks with Pellegrini’s agent and the Red Devils are prepared to double his wages should the Italian shift bases to England.

Pellegrini,22, has been in red-hot form for Roma this season, having already amassed two goals and five assists across all competitions. He was a regular for the Italian giants last season as well where he accumulated 3 goals and 4 assists in the Serie A.

The 22-year-old is currently one of the hottest young properties in Italian football and his stocks have soared even higher since his international debut for the Azurris last year.

Meanwhile, Manchester United are in dire need of new faces to bolster their squad in January. The Red Devils have endured a tough start to the season and currently sit 8th in the Premier League standings with 20 points from 12 games, just behind Watford and Bournemouth on goal difference.

United have been let down on numerous occasions over the course of the first twelve games of the season by their porous and vulnerable backline. The club’s poor defensive form has evoked widespread criticism from the fans and the media, thus making a new centre-back a priority in the winter transfer window.

However, it hasn’t always been about the defenders letting the team down. In fact, United have lacked a midfielder who can contribute equally to both attack and defence.

Mourinho did try to add stability to the team by deploying Nemanja Matic as a shield for the rearguard buy the Serbian has been quite poor by his standards. Marouane Fellaini had a few good outings before he was sidelined due to an injury.

Paul Pogba, on the other hand, has tried to make things happen but the Frenchman hasn’t got adequate support to spark that sense of creativity in the midfield.

Ander Herrera has blown hot and cold and he hasn’t been able to impress the manager to earn a regular starting role in the Premier League. He did make a significant impact coming off the bench against Bournemouth but had two horrible outings against Juventus and Manchester City in the subsequent games.

Suffice to say, United need a top-quality central midfielder to partner Paul Pogba and Lorenzo Pellegrini has shown enough promise to earn a move to the Premier League.

Granted, Pellegrini has been one of the revelations of the Serie A in recent seasons. In fact, he has averaged 1.7 shots, 2.3 key passes and 2.4 tackles per game this season, figures which suggest that he is a perfect fit for a central midfielder.

Pellegrini has that touch of Italian elegance in his game and combines his superior technical abilities with his awareness, vision and game-reading to influence proceedings. Not only does he have the ability to break up the play with crucial tackles and interceptions but also makes subtle runs into the final third from deeper areas of the pitch.

Well, United should not make the mistake of getting carried away by his numbers. Even though his technique is picture perfect, the Italian is likely to find it difficult to cope with the physicality and pace of the Premier League.

Taking recent history into account, the Premier League hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for the Italian recruits. Players like Alberto Aquilani and Manolo Gabbiadini came in with a lot of promise but failed to replicate their form in England.

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Moreover, Pellegrini is not too good at winning aerial duels, something that United should take note of.

If the first 12 games of the Premier League are anything to go by, United need a right-winger, a centre-forward and a centre-back to get their campaign back on track. That said, United should avoid splashing money on a central midfielder as there are other areas of the squad that necessitate immediate attention.