Who is Evanilson? Cristiano Ronaldo's possible new Man Utd rival

Robin Bairner

Updated: 20 Jun 2022 06:16 CDT
3 min read

Manchester United have launched a €60 million transfer bid for Porto striker Evanilson, according to reports in Portugal.

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The 22-year-old Brazilian scored 21 times in all competitions for Porto last season, including 14 in 30 top-flight league matches.

However, any deal being concluded is likely to hinge on PSG’s move for Vitinha, which appears to be in the balance presently. If this transfer is not concluded, Porto, who are in financial difficulty and need to generate a huge income this summer via deals, could hold out for €100m for the striker.

Porto need to complete another sale before June 30 in order to satisfy the financial problems that they face. This means a deal could be concluded swiftly. Porto will hold out for €70m, though.

How good is Evanlison?

Manchester United are known to be looking at striking options to support Cristiano Ronaldo, though their priorities lie in the midfield, where new manager Erik ten Hag has been directing much of his transfer focus.

Reports in Portugal state that they have been watching Evanlison for four months under the advice of the now departed Ralf Rangnick while they also missed out on Benfica striker Darwin Nunez, who moved to Liverpool for €100m.

The 22-year-old Evanilson has been with Porto since 2020, when he moved to the club from Tombense, who he never actually played for after a transfer from Fluminense. The deal that took him to Portugal was worth €8.8m.

Having initially impressed in Porto’s ‘B’ team, he quickly graduated into the first-team squad but was rarely given minutes during the 2020/2021 campaign.

That trend continued at the beginning of the 2021/22 season, with his first goals of the season in the league not arriving until he netted a double against Boavista after impressing in the league cup. He was a regular thereafter, but while he struck 14 league goals in total, he struggled against opposition of any standard. Only one of his league goals arrived against a team that finished in the top half of the table, while he did not net in any of his eight European outings.

What position does Evanilson play?

Evanilson is a striker who thrives in the box, performing as a poacher. His performance is high in terms of finish and also in offensive position. However, he is otherwise unspectacular in any offensive domain.

He does press well in a high zone and actually rates pretty impressively against his peers in Portugal in a defensive capacity.