Man United renewing £35m pursuit of this 24-year-old Russian would be splendid

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Rohan Sengupta

Why Manchester United should go for Aleksey Miranchuk in the summer

Back in December 2019, Lokomotiv Moscow playmaker Aleksey Miranchuk was linked with a move to Manchester United, as per Italian outlet TuttoMercatoWeb (h/t Daily Star).

Aleksey Miranchuk, 24, has enjoyed a solid season with Lokomotiv Moscow, bagging nine goals and two assists in 21 appearances across all competitions. The report (h/t Daily Star) claimed that Manchester United were preparing a £35m offer for the Russian attacker ahead of the winter transfer window to ward off competition from AC Milan, Juventus and Lazio.

However, nothing concrete happened in January and the 24-year-old stayed put at Lokomotiv Moscow.

Lokomotiv Moscow attacker Aleksey Miranchuk in action. (Getty Images)
Lokomotiv Moscow attacker Aleksey Miranchuk in action. (Getty Images)

Manchester United signed striker Odion Ighalo on loan from Shanghai Shenhua until the end of the season after acquiring the services of Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon in January. They began hunting for an extra striker after seeing top scorer Marcus Rashford get sidelined with a serious back injury. And the Red Devils ended up with Ighalo.

However, the signings of Bruno and Ighalo don’t simply solve all problems for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. United have struggled to score goals this season, managing only 36 in 25 games. Rashford is the club’s top scorer with 17 goals across all competitions but he is out injured now. Anthony Martial has been inconsistent this term, while Mason Greenwood is a teenager and can be relied upon for the regular supply of goals.

Fernandes’ presence does come as a boost but since Ighalo is at the club only till June, the United boss should prioritize reinforcing the attack in the summer. Having said that, the Red Devils must rekindle their interest in Aleksey Miranchuk.

Man United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer celebrates on the touchline. (Getty Images)
Man United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer celebrates on the touchline. (Getty Images)

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Miranchuk has a tally of nine goals and four assists from 21 appearances across all competitions this season, thus playing a key role for his side. He is quite versatile and is capable of playing on either wing, as a number 10 and also upfront as a supporting striker.

Verdict

The Russian would bring in much-needed competition for Solskjaer’s squad. At the age of 24, Miranchuk has shown enough potential and the Red Devils must secure the versatile playmaker’s signature during the summer transfer window.