Manchester United’s interest in Renne midfielder Eduardo Camavinga is just the tip of the iceberg. Despite a viable interest from England, there are several complications as the player has his priorities set in staying in France.
RMC’s Mohamed Bouhafsi says that Manchester United will soon set a meeting with Eduardo Camavinga’s camp to convince him to join the Old Trafford club, but a potential interest from Paris Saint-Germain remains a hindrance in the process.
🚨 Manchester United has officially expressed interest in #Camavinga 🇫🇷. Man #United will even meet his entourage next week to convince him to join United. PSG remains the priority of the player. He would like to stay in France. Free in June 2022.
— Mohamed Bouhafsi (@mohamedbouhafsi) June 27, 2021
Now, before understanding where Manchester United would fit the 18-year-old, it is important to know why the Red Devils are interested in signing him in the first place.
Manchester United’s pursuit of a defensive midfielder
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It is known that manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen on adding a defensive midfielder as he wants Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes to have enough room to operate on the offensive front.
But Eduardo Camavinga isn’t really a defensive midfielder per se. His versatility, however, is something that makes him an attractive entity.
So can he be trusted with defensive duties?
Well, let’s get some figures out. last season, four of his 41 appearances in all competitions came as a defensive midfielder and the 18-year-old showed promise.
He averaged 2.8 tackles and 0.7 interceptions per game. The figure is much superior to that of Scott McTominay’s who averaged just 1.6 tackles per game. Albeit the Scottish played 30 games as a defensive midfielder.
What makes Camavinga a glaring presence in midfield is his 6ft tall frame, which he uses to guard the ball. He is an excellent passer too as is evident with his passing accuracy of 89% in Ligue 1 last season.
There are a tad bit of issues with his tackling as he averaged 1.6 fouls in Ligue 1 and 2.8 fouls in the Champions League, but that is something that can be improved on.
He is not the kind of player that would assist week in week out, but rest assured that he loves to dictate the game from the middle and works tirelessly to win the ball. And that can be a blessing for Manchester United.
How can Manchester United line-up with Eduardo Camavinga?