Manchester United opinion: Why the Portuguese sensation is ideal for Manchester United
According to the Metro, Manchester United have been linked with a summer transfer for the Portuguese sensation Joao Felix. The 19-year-old announced himself to the world by scoring a hat-trick for Benfica against Eintracht Frankfurt in the first-leg of the Europa League quarter-final.
Quite similar to former Ballon D’or winner and Brazilian international Kaka, he does share certain similarities. He’s a decent dribbler of the ball, has great acceleration as opposed to sprint speed.
He isn’t very flashy but has a great change of direction and turn of pace, which can bamboozle defences, along with a fine shot from close and long-range.
If we were to compare him with a player plying his trade currently, Roberto Firminho comes to mind. In fact, he is a good footballer and hence, can play in various forward positions, as demanded of him.
Felix is comfortable playing in any of the attacking positions and is also a decisive player, as his number this season suggests. He’s scored 18 goals and provided 11 assists in all competitions.
Why he’s the ideal United signing.
Manchester United have a history of buying relatively unknown but promising players and developing them into world-class superstars.
Felix could be the next one in line if he is to make the switch to Manchester. He only has to look at his compatriot and footballing phenomenon Cristiano Ronaldo to know what a platform Old Trafford can be.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needs to bring back some of what was lost in the years after the departure of legendary manager, Sir Alex Ferguson. He has shown signs that he’s, perhaps, the first manager since the great man’s departure, who can bring the identity back.
His first 3 months at the job were almost flawless but no one can work miracles. He’ll need help from the board room and the structural hierarchy at Manchester United to ensure he’s allowed to work on the coaching side of things.
How would he fit into the current setup
Felix could fit into Solskjaer’s system by playing the role Jesse Lingard is often tasked with. Lingard is a fine player and an academy graduate but United lack a real creative outlet, besides Paul Pogba,
Rashford, Lukaku and Martial are all more suited to scoring goals than creating them. Even full-backs Luke Shaw and Ashley Young have defensive instincts. Diogo Dalot has the potential to be a creative outlet but he won’t be ready until the upcoming season.
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Conclusion
Felix is young and hungry, much like United’s latest gaffer. Felix’s talents demand that he starts most games, meaning playing time shouldn’t be a problem. He can also look at the Premier League as a great platform for his development. For all the reasons mentioned above, this would be a great match.