Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho reportedly wants the Brazilian full-back at Old Trafford as he looks to tighten the defence at his new club.
Manchester United have been linked with a host of players since the appointment of Jose Mourinho at the helm but are yet to be linked to a right-back. United signed Eric Bailly from Villareal who can play there but as Mourinho mentioned in his first interview at the club that he was more interested in playing specialists in each position.
Guillermo Varela’s departure looks more and more imminent after Mourinho had reportedly marked the Uruguayan along with Tyler Blackett to be sold in the summer window as a part of the United clear-out. The right-back has been reported to be in talks with Bundesliga club Frankfurt and is most likely to be leaving Old Trafford on a loan move. Matteo Darmian has also been linked with a move to Barcelona and these moves are likely to deplete the right side of the defence.
The only positive in this scenario is the emergence of Dutch prodigy Timothy Fosu-Mensah to the first-team setup. The 18-year-old is mostly a central defender but is equally capable of playing at right-back and in the defensive midfield position. There were reports that Jose Mourinho had earmarked young Fosu-Mensah to be further developed as a right-back as the Portugese manager believes the Dutch youngster can grow to become a world class player at that position.
Fresh reports from The Sun in the early hours of Sunday have claimed that United are now interested in a move for AS Monaco’s right-back Fabinho. The report goes on to state a move for the Brazilian could be facilitated by the fact that the 22-year-old, in Jorge Mendes, shares the same agent as current Manchester United boss, Jose Mourinho. Manchester United’s hierarchy are reportedly ready to shelve out the £22m asking price for the right-back along with a handsome contract.
Fabinho joined AS Monaco on loan from Liga NOS side Rio Ave on a loan deal in 2013 and has since become a mainstay at the club. The Brazilian had previous shifts with Real Madrid’s B side, Castilla and the first-team at the Santiago Bernabeu, before joining the former Ligue 1 contenders.
The Brazilian has since made the right-back spot his own at the Stade Louis II with more than 100 appearances in all competitions for the club. His performances compelled Monaco to sign him on a permanent basis in 2015 on a contract that runs until 2019. The Brazilian was at his best last season averaging a rating of 7.34 in Ligue 1 in 34 appearances with 6 goals and 4 assists to his name (stats via whoscored). The defender has been impressive in France and is reportedly ready to move to the Premier League with Manchester United reportedly the only suitors thus far.
Fabinho has been lauded for his concentration on the pitch along with his ability to hold on to the ball and his passing ability under pressure. The right-back has a mean tackle on him and has a tendency of fouling and getting fouled too often. Jose Mourinho would be looking at the 22-year-old to add some consistency at the right-back position as well as maintain his contribution on both ends of the pitch.
If the reports are true, Mourinho looks to have found the perfect player to fill the right-back position in Fabinho. The player reportedly wants a move to the Premier League and Manchester United are willing to meet Monaco’s £22m asking price. With the defender sharing the same agent as Mourinho, it wouldn’t ideally take much time to get a deal in place and United fans would be hoping to add some Samba flavour to an already exciting squad at Old Trafford for next season.
