Manchester United look set to proceed their youthful squad overhaul within the coming switch home windows with a transfer for a younger Croatian midfielder dubbed ‘the subsequent Luka Modric’.
The Crimson Devils bolstered their choices in the course of the park over the summer season with the late arrival of Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain serving to to offset the departures of Scott McTominay, Hannibal Mejbri and Donny van de Beek.
Erik ten Hag’s aspect have, nevertheless, struggled to shrug the difficulties of final season, which noticed them stoop to their worst-ever Premier League end whereas additionally ending the season with a adverse purpose distinction, shedding back-to-back league fixtures as they sit firmly within the backside half of the desk within the early phases of the brand new marketing campaign.
Away from the glamour of the primary crew, the incoming INEOS regime has put in loads of groundwork bettering the youth sides this summer season, with the arrival of proficient teen Sekou Kone signifying a new-found significance to constructing the membership from the bottom up, whereas the upcoming arrival of free-scoring Arsenal teen Chido Obi-Martin additional cementing this new ideology.
This has companions a youthful switch method at senior degree, with three signings below the age of 24 bolstering the first-team ranks, whereas the oldest signing, Noussair Mazraoui, remains to be solely 26. This appears to be like set to proceed shifting ahead because the Previous Trafford outfit appears to be like set to make a transfer for 21-year-old Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Martin Baturina.
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Beforehand dubbed ‘the subsequent Luka Modric’ for his dazzling playmaking potential, Baturina has caught the eye of elite golf equipment throughout Europe as his monumental rise continued with a call-up to the nationwide crew in 2023.
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In keeping with Croatian outlet Germanijak, the Crimson Devils have had scouts watching the midfielder in current months with a view to a transfer subsequent summer season. Specialising within the ‘quantity ten’ position, Baturina’s technical potential and artistic aptitude have seen him change into a viable long-term substitute for Bruno Fernandes.
United aren’t alone of their curiosity, nevertheless, with Chelsea, Arsenal and Fiorentina all publicly linked to the starlet over the previous 12 months. With over 100 senior appearances already below his belt, the playmaker is unlikely to maneuver on a budget, notably if Dinamo Zagreb can drum up sufficient curiosity for a bidding battle between now and the top of the season.
In FourFourTwo’s view, this transfer will very a lot verge on the value tag. A deal at an affordable price would undoubtedly be seen as sensible enterprise, an astute acquisition of a rotation possibility for Fernandes to assist the immense load he has been made to hold over the previous couple of years. Nonetheless, different areas stay a extra urgent situation at Previous Trafford, notably with an thrilling crop of midfielders already within the youth sides ready to burst onto the season, which means that a big outlay would possible have been higher served bettering different areas of the crew, notably if the Crimson Devils run into related PSR points subsequent summer season.
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