Bring him home! Angel Gomes is the Lille player Man Utd should sign

Robin Bairner

• 19 Feb 2024 06:30 CST
• 4 min read

Manchester United have been linked with a transfer for Lille striker Jonathan David, but the Old Trafford club should really be trying to lure Angel Gomes back from Les Dogues.

Gomes, after all, is the one making David look good.

The Canada international striker scored a second career hat-trick on Saturday as he bagged all three of Lille’s goals in a 3-0 win over Le Havre to keep them in Champions League contention in Ligue 1, yet it was Gomes who was the mastermind behind the victory.

A delicious pass to set up the 24-year-old was simply the highlight of what was a virtuoso playmaking display from the Man Utd academy graduate, who joined Les Dogues on a free transfer in 2020 after making only 10 senior appearances for the Red Devils.

Gomes was at the heart of several excellent moves, with one deft pass over the top of the defence setting up David for what might have been a fourth goal.

It’s not been a rapid rise to the top for the 23-year-old midfielder, but he is playing with more maturity, control and consistency this season than he has previously managed.

This has been reflected in increased game time and importance on the field, with Gomes having scored two goals, just one short of his career-best mark for a season, and created six more, equalling his previous best.

He has become a more rounded player in France, where he has typically operated as an attacking midfielder this season has shown himself technically astute enough to play as a deep-lying playmaker.

Ian Wright recognised this as he took to X to post: “Not seeing enough love and flowers for Angel Gomes and what he's consistently doing at Lille in the centre of midfield. Another top performance yesterday. Call him up and have a look at him.”

Angel Gomes to make Man Utd return?

And a return to Man Utd should not be discounted.

Gomes is blessed with the DNA of the Old Trafford club, where the fans would appreciate his grace with the ball as well as his ability to pick subtle passes around the box to unhinge opposing defences.

According to data analytics experts SciSports, he is also an excellent fit for the Red Devils.

Man Utd have a Club Fit score of 83 for Gomes. This is calculated using a variety of metrics, such as playing time, development, formation and style.

Only in terms of Erik ten Hag’s formation is there a major weakness for United, which allows West Ham to be rated a slightly better fit than them.

He also has a potential SciSkill score of 103, a figure based upon hundreds of in-game data points, and is around the current standard of Casemiro, Man Utd’s best midfielder behind only Bruno Fernandes, according to SciSports.

With all this in mind, Gomes, who has an Expected Transfer Value (ETV) of €12.2 million, is a player Man Utd should be thinking about bringing home.