Opinion: Could Man United signing this 17-goal Serie A ace help them next season?

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Rohan Sengupta

Why Manchester United must make a move for AS Roma’s Cengiz Under

Back in January 2019, ESPN had claimed that Manchester United were among a host of clubs interested in signing AS Roma winger Cengiz Under. However, no deal materialised and he stayed put at AS Roma.

Cengiz Under, 22, joined AS Roma from Istanbul Basaksehir for €13m move in the summer of 2017 and has gone onto make 85 appearances, scoring 17 goals and supplying 11 assists in the process. The winger has made 20 appearances across all competitions so far this season, scoring three goals.

Cengiz Under has performed extremely well for AS Roma. (Getty Images)
Cengiz Under has performed extremely well for AS Roma. (Getty Images)

With Under enjoying another impressive Serie A campaign with Roma, Manchester United must rekindle their interest in him when the transfer window opens.

United go into Sunday’s Manchester derby in fine form. They are unbeaten in their past nine matches in all competitions since losing back-to-back fixtures against Liverpool and Burnley in January. The major reason for the Red Devils’ recent good form is Bruno Fernandes, who joined the club from Sporting Lisbon in January.

Fernandes, 25, has lifted the team and the mood of the fans by seamlessly slotting in Solskjaer’s team. With three goals and two assists in the first six games, the Portugal international has made an instant impact at Old Trafford. Even though it’s premature to judge him, Fernandes is proving to be the player United have been craving for some time now.

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

United need to scrap for every point they can get because the race to finish in the Champions League spots is tight. Finishing fifth could be enough this season to qualify for Europe’s elite club tournament next season because of Manchester City’s two-year ban from UEFA competitions. And come summer, Solskjaer must reinforce his squad further to compete for multiple trophies next season.

In Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Daniel James and Mason Greenwood, Solskjaer has some young, quick and exciting attacking players at his disposal. Other than James, who is an out-and-out winger, the likes of Rashford, Greenwood and Martial are versatile in nature and can play out wide as well. However, United lack a natural right-winger and that’s why signing Under would make sense.

Under scored 8 goals in 32 appearances during his debut season, helping Roma reach the Champions League semi-finals. He has endured an injury-hit 2019/20 campaign that has limited him to just 20 appearances across all competitions till date. The 22-year-old has been capped 19 times by Turkey.

AS Roma winger Cengiz Under in action. (Getty Images)
AS Roma winger Cengiz Under in action. (Getty Images)

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Still only 22, the Roma star could fit right into Solskjaer’s United, with the Norwegian tactician currently rebuilding the club and clearly relying on young talents and academy products. Under would bring depth to this Man United squad and that could be quite useful.

Verdict

Under is a winger with immense potential and Manchester United must do everything in their powers to lure him away from Roma ahead of the 2020/21 campaign.