How Man Utd could line up with Kylian Mbappe
Robin Bairner
- 12 Oct 2022 15:17 BST
- 3 min read
Manchester United hold an interest in signing Kylian Mbappe, FootballTransfer revealed on Wednesday.
Brokering a deal may prove difficult for the World Cup winner given that PSG believe he is tied to the club until 2025, meaning that they have no intention of selling him until the summer of 2024 at the earliest.
Nevertheless, Mbappe is unhappy and should an astronomical bid be filed, it is possible that he could leave Parc des Princes, where he has spent the last five seasons.
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A resurgent Man Utd could be an interesting project for Mbappe to join given that his relationship with Real Madrid is complicated after he snubbed the opportunity to move to them as a free agent in the summer.
Meanwhile, Liverpool face an uphill battle to qualify for the Champions League next season – surely a prerequisite for Mbappe to join them – while Manchester City already have a world star in the form of Erling Haaland.
At United, meanwhile, he could be the figurehead that he craves to be.
Where Mbappe would fit in at Man Utd
One of the reasons for Mbappe’s unhappiness at PSG is that he is not being fielded in his favoured position on the left of the attack. It’s fair to suggest that if he moved to Man Utd, this would be the position in which he would play.
At present, Marcus Rashford looks the likeliest No.9 for the Red Devils in this setup, ironically at the expense of Mbappe’s hero Cristiano Ronaldo, with Antony playing off the right.
Bruno Fernandes would retain a No.10 role for Erik ten Hag’s side, with the two sitting midfielders liable to be Christian Eriksen and Casemiro, although Ten Hag is likely to seek reinforcements in that area.
As things stand, there would be little change in the defence, though if Mbappe were to join, this could be of benefit to Luke Shaw on the left given that he is seen as a stronger defensive player than Tyrell Malacia. Given the France star’s reticence to track back, this would be valuable.
David de Gea, for now, features in goal, though if Mbappe joins, it may be that the Spaniard is allowed to leave because of his huge wage, meaning that Man Utd could recall Dean Henderson.
