Ole Gunnar Solskjaer feels Manchester United should be looking to the future after yet another disappointing season and said the club should “recruit smart”.
Manchester United are already out of the top four race, with Solskjaer’s side battling to finish either fifth or sixth when they host Cardiff City on the final day of the season.
A brief resurgence under Solskjaer gave the Red Devils hope of finishing in the top-four but they failed to qualify for the Champions League after winning only two of their last eight games.
Now that United can forget about Champions League football for at least one season, Solskjaer needs to get his recruitment absolutely spot on if his team are to reduce the gap on Manchester City and Liverpool.
The Norwegian needs to be ruthless in his approach by clearing out the deadwood before signing players. However, it’s important Solskjaer retains the core of the club. One area that definitely needs reinforcing is the defence, which has leaked over 50 goals this season. Beyond that, the 46-year-old also needs to bring in a couple of midfielders and a right-winger.
Ander Herrera has confirmed he will leave United at the end of the season when his contract expires. Herrera’s Spanish compatriot Juan Mata is also out of contract at the club, while Solskjaer sold Marouane Fellaini in the January transfer window.
Paul Pogba is heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid, Fred failing to live up to his hefty price tag and Nemanja Matic soon turning 31 and apparently in decline, a midfield rebuild would be a good start for Solskjaer.
United have been linked with a move for West Ham’s Declan Rice (h/t The Express ), while some fans have the requested the club to sign Wilfred Ndidi from Leicester City. Both Rice and Ndidi play a deeper role in midfield for their respective clubs and it’s no surprise to see them being linked with the Reds, as Solskjaer’s side desperately lack a deep-lying playmaker.
That being said, let’s have a statistical comparison between Rice and Ndidi and see who can make the grade at United?
Being a defensive midfielder, it’s important to have strong defensive skills and positional awareness. Speaking about that, Ndidi has made nine blocks, 79 interceptions, 142 tackles and 80 clearances in 37 appearances this season. Rice, meanwhile, has made 12 blocks, 51 interceptions, 94 tackles and 52 clearances in 33 appearances.
Ndidi is a very good passer of the ball and has made 1,935 passes in comparison to Rice’s 1,483. The Leicester City destroyer, however, has a pass success rate of 79.74%, which is lesser than West Ham academy product’s 86.31%. That could be due to Ndidi being more ambitious on the ball than Rice.
The Nigeria international has also shown his attacking qualities, supplying six through balls and 11 crosses. The England international, in comparison, is a bit conservative with his passing and has managed just two through balls and three crosses. Ndidi is a bit more aggressive, as he has accumulated eight yellow cards to Rice’s four.
The statistical comparison clearly tells why United fans have been screaming for the club to sign Ndidi. Ndidi appears to be perfect for United’s midfield; an asset when it comes to screening the backline, whilst possessing the intelligence to initiate attacks from midfield. He is a lot more composed and aggressive than Rice and at 22, has a lot of potential to grow.
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Thus, Solskjaer should ignore Rice and go all out to sign Ndidi to start his rebuilding job at Old Trafford this summer.
Stats courtesy: The Premier League