Is Tchouameni the ideal replacement for Pogba at Man Utd?

FT Desk

• Updated: 15 Apr 2022 13:33 BST
• 7 min read

New Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag seems to have already earmarked a potential replacement for Paul Pogba in the summer transfer window.

The France international is widely expected to depart the club at the end of the season, when his current deal comes to an end.

As such, the Old Trafford side may be forced into finding a new box-to-box talent to replace the former Juventus star and according to reports their incoming manager already has someone in mind.

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According to ESPN, Monaco star Aurelien Tchouameni will be made a top target for the club when Ten Hag takes over the reins at the club in the coming months.

The 22-year-old talent has emerged as one of Ligue 1’s brightest young stars and could be tasked with stepping into Pogba’s shoes next season.

So is Tchouameni an ideal Pogba replacement and how much would he cost the Premier League side?

Does he play like Pogba?

Now in his third season as a senior professional in French football, Tchouameni is showing some signs that he could be an ideal replacement to Pogba but for now is a little different in how he plays his game.

For example, while Pogba is undoubtedly a deep-lying playmaker, Tchouameni spent his first two seasons in Ligue 1 playing as a ball-winning or box-to-box midfielder.

The 21-year-old has shown some signs of attacking intent, with three goals and four assists last season and has already bagged three goals and two assists in 44 games this season, but Tchouameni is still much more of a defensive player than Pogba.

In fact, the two players are so different that they’d actually be quite good partners in the middle of the pitch, which is exactly what Didier Deschamps did by playing them alongside each other in the Nations League last season.

How much would he cost Man Utd?

As things currently stand, Tchouameni is valued at €33 million and has a contract with Monaco until 2024.

However, if Man Utd are forced into making an offer for the young midfielder in a bid to fill a Pogba-shaped hole in their team, we can probably expect Monaco to demand at least twice that amount for the young international.