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Man United signing this 28-year-old Serie A giants captain would be an utter waste

Why Florenzi to Manchester United would be a clearly unnecessary move

According to Italian publication Corriere dello Sport (h/t Manchester Evening News), Manchester United are interested in AS Roma right-back Alessandro Florenzi.

The 28-year-old Roma captain has spent his entire career at Roma and has been a valuable presence on the right flank for the Italian side ever since he graduated from their academy in 2011.

However, the arrival of new manager Paulo Fonseca has seen the hardcore Roma man, who is quite popular among the fans, struggle for game time this season. He has so far made just 12 appearances from a total of 17 league games, of which two of them have been from the bench.

AS Roma right-back Alessandro Florenzi celebrates after scoring. (Getty Images)
AS Roma right-back Alessandro Florenzi celebrates after scoring. (Getty Images)

Despite being the captain and someone who wears his heart on the sleeve, the Italian has seen himself fall down the pecking order under Fonseca, who keeps shuffling the right-back role between Florenzi and Davide Santon.

An established regular since the 2012-13 season, Florenzi has been an integral part of the Roma side, playing a total of 276 matches until this season, where things have surprisingly taken a different turn.

That said and considering Florenzi’s prevailing situation, United are interested in making a move for the experienced full-back.

However, it does not seem to be the wisest of decisions by the Red Devils, who already have as many as three right-backs in their ranks. Summer signing Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been an instant hit after making the switch from Crystal Palace.

Alessandro Florenzi of Roma controls the ball during the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and AS Roma at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on May 5, 2019 in Genoa, Italy. (Getty Images)
Alessandro Florenzi of Roma controls the ball during the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and AS Roma at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on May 5, 2019, in Genoa, Italy. (Getty Images)

The youngster is growing in confidence with every game he is playing and is currently third on the list of players with the most successful tackles, behind Leicester’s Ricardo Pereira and Wilfred Ndidi.

His rock-solid defensive game and exceptional tackling skills have established himself as a regular in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.

Apart from Wan-Bissaka, United have two more full-backs who are capable of playing on both flanks – youngsters Diogo Dalot and Timothy Fosu-Mensah.

Both of them are currently sidelined due to injuries but it wouldn’t be long until they make a return. However, they have spent most of the time on the benches this season due to the impressive form shown by Wan-Bissaka.

Manchester United right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Manchester United right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka. (Getty Images)

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However, the two are still very young and have a lot of time to improve their game. Moreover, having more than one full-back also offers Solskjaer a lot of options in his defence, which could be of great value in the coming days.

Verdict

Manchester United have enough players in the full-back position and bringing Florenzi would just be surplus to their requirements.

Moreover, the Italian is AS Roma through and through, and making him leave his childhood club would not be an easy affair. Hence, United’s decision to go for the Roma full-back seems like a really unnecessary choice at the moment.