Manchester United's hidden Adrien Rabiot alternatives

Stuart Telford

• Updated: 12 Aug 2022 10:06 CDT
• 4 min read

Manchester United are reportedly closing on a deal to sign Adrien Rabiot from Juventus. The Frenchman brings plenty of off-field baggage, though, and there could be a few alternatives beginning to emerge in the transfer market.

Nobody is questioning Rabiot's ability, the midfielder a 29-time capped France international who has won league titles with Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus. But his mother and agent Veronique once confronted Laurent Blanc in the PSG carpark after he dropped his son, and Erik ten Hag might have to endure similar headaches.

A move for Frenkie de Jong looks to be dead. The Dutchman was never that keen on being reunited with his former Ajax boss at Old Trafford, and he is even more reluctant to leave his "dream club" Barcelona if it would mean walking away from €20 million in unpaid wages.

With Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic leaving on free transfers to Juventus and Roma respectively this summer, United's need to bolster their midfield has become more pronounced, and transfer news coming out of Germany could give them the opportunity to pounce on two players.

Borussia Monchengladbach have been linked with a move for Benfica's Julian Weigl, which means the Germany international should be available for the right price, but such speculation should also rock the boat for Manu Kone, who has an eerily similar profile to De Jong - but without the price tag and unwillingness to move.

Sky Germany report that Gladbach's move for Weigl is getting held up over a transfer fee. Benfica want €15m up front; the Foals want to loan the Germany international with an option to buy at the end of the season.

That €15m fee would be peanuts for Man Utd, who spent €2m more than that on a left-back, and Weigl's skill-set could be great for them. He broke into the Germany set-up after impressing under Thomas Tuchel at Borussia Dortmund, his shoulder rolls to beat the opposition press reminiscent of a prime Floyd Mayweather.

Midfield masters

Although he is now out of favour at Benfica, he still averaged 35 successful passes per game last season which gave him a pass completion of 87 percent, and United's ball retention would improve with him on board.

But the really interesting dynamic is what a Gladbach bid for Weigl might mean for Kone. The French youngster has blossomed since his summer 2021 arrival from Toulouse, but still had to share playing time with Florian Neuhaus, Denis Zakaria and Christoph Kramer last season. Zakaria may have since left for Juventus, but adding Weigl into the mix makes things busier again.

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And then there is the player Kone is. Last season, he averaged three interceptions and two dribbles completed per 90 minutes he played - putting him in the upper 95th percentile or better across Germany by both measures. So he can also win the ball back and beat the press, keeping possession, with his close control keeping him out of trouble.

It is exactly the job De Jong fulfils for Barcelona, and United should move quickly to acquire a player with a high ceiling but who, for now, remains somewhat under the radar. With Weigl and Kone, they could even buy them both.