Why Manchester United should pursue their interest in Alessio Romagnoli
According to ESPN, Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has identified Alessio Romagnoli as a possible long-term partner for Harry Maguire.
25-year-old Romagnoli currently plies his trade with AC Milan. He has been captaining the side since the 2018-19 campaign. A well-established defender in Serie A for quite some time now, Romagnoli joined Milan from rivals Roma back in 2015.
Since then, the Italian centre-back has been a regular in the Serie A side’s defence and has played 187 matches for them across all competitions.
Despite his side’s continuous struggles in the past few years, Romagnoli has been a reliable face at the back for AC Milan with his rock-solid displays. This season itself, he has helped the team keep 11 clean sheets from 31 league matches so far, giving a clear idea of his talent and pedigree.
He has not missed a single Serie A match this season, signifying his worth within the current Milan side. Having impressed for Milan all these years, Romagnoli has now joined Bournemouth’s Nathan Ake and Aston Villa’s Tyrone Mings in the list of targets on the radar of Manchester United.
Romagnoli can add strength to Manchester United defence
The Red Devils boss Solskjaer is in the hunt for a long-term partner for club captain and centre-back Harry Maguire, who arrived for £80m from Leicester City last summer. Though Maguire’s arrival has stabilised a weak United defence that has only conceded 33 goals from 34 league games, there are still improvements to be made.
Victor Lindelof has been Maguire’s regular partner this term and has impressed with nine clean sheets in the league so far. However, he has shown signs of inconsistency at the back, which is a cause for concern for United, if they aspire to reach the top.
Apart from Maguire and Lindelof, United have Eric Bailly, Axel Tuanzebe and Phil Jones in the squad as backup. Considered a huge talent upon his arrival back in 2016, Bailly has never really managed to establish himself at Old Trafford and has spent most of his time on the sidelines due to various injuries.
His past injuries still remain a major concern, while young Tuanzebe is still developing and is seen as a future prospect. Jones, on the other hand, is way down the pecking order and has hardly been used this season.
United are currently fifth in the league rankings and are vying for a Champions League spot. If such a scenario happens next season, they clearly need a consistent defender in their ranks and Romagnoli would be a viable option.
A proven customer in the past, his arrival will only bolster the squad’s options next season and help them get back to their days of glory.
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Verdict
Manchester United have defensively done so well so far, however, they need a more consistent partner for their skipper Maguire and who better than Romagnoli. The Italian has already proved his mettle with AC Milan and has been a regular within the squad since his arrival five years ago. Moreover, he is still 25 and has his best years ahead of him.
