Manchester United keen on signing Adrien Rabiot despite huge drop-off in form | OneFootball

The mounting injury crisis at Manchester United forced manager Erik ten Hag to play Casemiro at centre-back alongside the only specialist senior option who is fit at the moment, Harry Maguire.

The Brazilian’s positional switch was necessitated after academy star Willy Kambwala dropped out in the build-up to the game.

The former Real Madrid star has looked like a shadow of his former self this season and on Sunday, the backline shipped three goals yet again, the 14th times this has transpired this campaign, but this time to Championship Coventry City.

In midfield, both Sofyan Amrabat and Mason Mount also suffered injuries and the hardly-used Christian Eriksen came on as a substitute in the second half. The manager’s changes almost led to United suffering an embarrassing loss at Wembley.

Midfield reinforcements

The Dane and the Brazilian are likely to be moved on in the summer, with INEOS keen to get rid of Casemiro’s humongous wages while the former Tottenham Hotspur star has lost more than a yard of pace which makes it difficult for him to cover spaces in midfield when the team is out of possession.

However, due to FFP concerns, new co-owners INEOS cannot go all out when it comes to recruitment and they will have a limited budget and must try and utilise it effectively.

That is exactly why the club have been linked with a Bosman move for Adrien Rabiot, currently of Juventus. Ten Hag remains an admirer and the club were close to signing the Frenchman last season only for the deal to stall due to wage demands.

Once again, the 29-year-old is out of contract at Turin and the Red Devils have been mentioned as potential suitors but as per Calciomercato, United will not be getting the same player they were close to signing in 2022.

In 29 matches across all competitions this season, the former Paris Saint-Germain star has scored four times while providing three assists, a sharp fall from the 11 goals and six assists he recorded 12 months ago.

The report goes on to criticise the seven-time league champion even further, calling him “the worst on the pitch” and “listless” with the Old Lady third in Serie A.

“In Cagliari all the statistics went against him: he lost 100% of his tackles and six duels, too many for someone like him. But the numbers do not explain everything about the backwards step taken by the midfielder.

Rabiot not the best fit at the moment

“Listless, detached from the team movement, often among the worst on the pitch, this is not the Rabiot that Allegri wanted in his midfield, the one who had deserved the renewal only a year ago due to his great performances.”

Apart from his on-field displays, the Italian outlet also claimed, “He will certainly want a longer renewal than the annual one last season. And he will push for a significant increase to the 7 million he receives today.”

Rabiot remains interested in a Premier League move with Newcastle also monitoring proceedings while the potential arrival of Thiago Motta as Juve coach could change the player’s mind.

Should United go back in for Rabiot after such an unsuccessful season, also knowing that his agent and mother Veronique is not easy to deal with. INEOS have a big call to take.

For far too long the club have been held to ransom by big-name players looking for one last payday that the Glazers have been quick to sanction in a bid to sell shirts. Surely, INEOS will be different.

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