Why Man United should drop interest in Mexican star Sebastian Cordova
According to The Sun, Man United are eyeing up a shock swoop for Mexican playmaker Sebastian Cordova in January, with the report claiming that the 22-year-old was monitored closely by the Red Devils’ scouts on his international debut for Mexico last week.
United, though, are not alone in the race to sign Cordova, who is also on the radar of Sevilla and Benfica following his impressive run of form over the past twelve months. (h/t Sun)
The 22-year-old, who rose through the youth ranks of national heavyweights Club America, made his professional debut in 2016 but he had to go through loan spells at Nexaca and Oaxaca before establishing himself in the first-team.
Having guided Club America to the Mexico Cup title in April, Cordova has featured in 9 league outings for his boyhood club this term, with the Mexican illustrating the versatility to play anywhere in the middle of the park.
The 22-year-old has largely played in a deep role in a 4-2-3-1 system in the ongoing campaign, while also featuring in wide positions and further up the pitch in an attacking midfield role behind the striker. As well as that, Cordova has caught the eye with his vision, presence of mind and ambidextrous nature as a footballer.
Despite that, however, his returns in the Mexican top-flight haven’t been all that impressive, with the midfielder just managing to find the net once in 9 appearances this season, numbers which are hardly an upgrade on his overall tally of 3 goals and 2 assists in 28 appearances the last term.
Cordova has, indeed, caught the eye with his talent but those numbers suggest that he doesn’t have enough end product for a player who has been characterized as a playmaker.
Of course, he still has a lot of time to hit greater heights and fulfil his potential but at 22, the youngster probably needs to do a lot more if he is really serious about earning a coveted move to Europe.
To put things into perspective, Sebastian Cordova might be a real talent in his homeland and his age means that he currently fits the bill at Old Trafford but it would be a big gamble for Man United to splash the cash on him in January, given that he is still relatively unproven at the highest level.
The Red Devils forked out millions of pounds on the likes of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James in the summer to support Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s youthful squad overhaul and, while both the players have proven their worth thus far, United should be aware of the risk of bringing in an unproven South American talent.
With Paul Pogba’s future at Old Trafford still up in the air, Juan Mata only a shadow of his former influential self and the likes of Jese Lingard and Andreas Pereira failing to live up to the expectations, United definitely need to bolster their creative midfield department but that doesn’t mean the Red Devils should go berserk in the transfer window and sign unproven Latin American stars.
Going back to the past, they have had little luck with their South American recruits, with talented players like Kleberson, Diego Forlan, Angelo Henriquez and Anderson, as well as stalwarts like Juan Sebastian Veron, Radamel Falcao and Angel Di Maria, failing to live up to the hype following their move to Old Trafford since the turn of the century.
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Javier Hernandez flew the Mexican flag high in the Premier League during his days as a bonafide poacher at Man United but there isn’t enough evidence to suggest that Cordova could possibly emulate the success of his compatriot.
Suffice to say, Man United making a move for Cordova would simply be a panic-buy, a desperate attempt to get their faltering campaign back on track, and, with that in mind, they should be sensible enough to weigh up more established options in the market.