Why Manchester United should not hesitate to sign Alex Sandro
According to The Sun, Paris Saint-Germain have joined Manchester United in the race to sign Brazilian left-back Alex Sandro from Juventus. Although the player still has two years remaining on his current contract, he has revealed that the club haven’t offered him a new contract (h/t The Sun).
Sandro started his professional career with Brazilian clubs Atletico Paranaense and Santos, following which he moved to Porto in 2011. He caught the eye with some impressive performances in the Portuguese top-flight and Juventus signed him in 2015. Since then, the 27-year-old has made a total of 120 appearances for the Old Lady and has found the back of the net on nine occasions.
Manchester United have managed to get their Premier League campaign back on track with wins against Burnley and Watford. The Red Devils had made a horrible start to the season, losing two of their first three games. However, their winning streak was ended as Wolverhampton Wanderers held them to a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford last weekend.
A lack of quality defenders has often been the reason behind United’s poor form but the board failed to bring in defensive reinforcements in the summer. Jose Mourinho was keen on bolstering his options at the back but did not have the required backing of the management. As a result, United were unable to land any of their targets in the summer as far as defenders are concerned, leaving the manager frustrated about the whole situation (h/t Express).
Truth be told, the Red Devils have looked shaky at the back and have already conceded 9 goals in their first six games. The record doesn’t look all that bad at present but they to put things into perspective, they conceded seven in their first three games.
Victor Lindelof, Phil Jones and Eric Bailly haven’t been at the top of their game, thus allowing the opposition too much space to work with. At times, the backline has lacked composure and the defenders have lunged into reckless challenges, leaving the team to pay for their wayward decision-making.
Luke Shaw and Chris Smalling, to some extent, have been United’s brightest sparks at the back this season. Smalling, who did not start the first couple of games, was called up for the third game and he has grown in confidence since then.
Shaw has not only been pretty solid at the back but he has also provided impetus to the attack with some creative moves down the left. Shaw might have rediscovered his mojo but United need another top-quality left-back in the squad, given that the Englishman is injury-prone and has had a career marred by injuries so far.
Just like most of his fellow countrymen, Alex Sandro is blessed with flawless technical abilities. He has combined his technical brilliance with his pace, strength and athleticism to establish himself as one of the best left-backs in the world. A good reader of the game, Sandro does not hesitate to go into crucial challenges and few can raise questions regarding his levels of composure and concentration.
A player characterized by agility and good positional sense, Sandro does not allow the opposition wingers to get the better of him easily. Just like most of the modern full-backs, he is offensive-minded and contributes a lot to the attack as well.
The Brazilian is unafraid to venture into the other half and utilizes his pace and dribbling skills to outsmart the defenders. At times, he has been deployed either as a wing-back or a left midfielder due to his attacking prowess. Hence, the fast-paced nature of the Premier League should suit his style of play and there is a strong possibility that he could live up to expectations in England.
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That said, Manchester United should not hesitate to splash the cash to sign Alex Sandro in January, as the move could help them add solidity to their backline and achieve success on all fronts.
