Why Maximilian Philipp would be a fantastic signing for Manchester United
According to an earlier report from Football.London, Arsenal and Spurs were interested in signing Maximilian Philipp from his former club Freiburg. However, the highly-rated German prodigy made a move to Borussia Dortmund at the start of last season.
A youth product of German third division club Energie Cottbus, Philipp made his move to Freiburg in 2012 and made his first-team debut in 2014. He wasn’t a regular starter for his club in the 2014-15 season in the Bundesliga but became a familiar face in the following season as Freiburg were relegated to the Bundesliga 2.
Philipp scored 8 goals and provided 9 assists to help his team win promotion back to the top-flight. A productive 2016-17 season earned him a move to Dortmund and the German hasn’t looked back since then.
The 24-year-old, who was a part of the German U21 side that won the 2017 UEFA U21 European Championship, had a wonderful debut season at the Signal Iduna Park, scoring 9 goals and providing an assist in 20 appearances.
Philipp is a technically-gifted and a tactically-versatile attacker who is capable of playing in any position in the attacking third. He has largely been used as an auxiliary striker at Dortmund but is also capable of playing as a wide forward down either flank and in a No.10 role behind the striker.
The German is not an Olympic sprinter by any means but he is quite sharp, agile and has the ability to leave the defenders for dead with his sudden bursts of pace.
He has good close control and above-average dribbling skills, which combined with his technique and strength can prove to be a handful for any defence in the world.
Philipp has a good eye for a pass and can play his teammates in behind the back-line. He is good at linking up the play in the final third but he is equally effective when he plays direct football. He has the ability to dribble at pace and his sudden change of direction can cause all sorts of problems for the opposition.
To put things into perspective, he would be an ideal signing for Manchester United in January. The Red Devils have rediscovered some form under their new caretaker manager and club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with victories in recent weeks but they should be looking to add a new face or two in January to freshen up the squad.
Phillip’s versatility to play in multiple positions in the attacking third will be a huge boost to United’s squad depth and team dynamics. One can predict an atmosphere of change in the post-Mourinho era and the Red Devils will need some measured transfer activity to build a formidable squad for the future.
And Maximilian Philipp would be a wonderful addition to United’s plethora of attacking options that consists of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata. With Alexis Sanchez nearing the end of his time at Old Trafford, the German can be an ideal replacement for the Chilean ace.
That said, United should start pursuing an interest in this versatile and dynamic German ace as he has all the qualities to take the club to the next level.