Why Man United should plot a move for Thomas Partey this summer

According to Spanish outlet Cadena Ser (h/t The Express), Manchester United are interested in signing Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey in the summer.

Thomas Partey, 26, has featured in 34 games in all competitions for Atletico Madrid this season, scoring three goals and providing an assist as well. He has been a consistent performer for Diego Simeone’s side over the last few campaigns, slowly establishing himself as a fan favourite at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.

The Ghanaian was one of the standout performers for Atletico in their 1-0 victory over Liverpool in the first leg of Champions League round of 16 two weeks ago. The report (h/t The Express) adds that the Rojiblancos are looking to agree on a new deal to increase the release clause but for now, the player’s exit clause remains at £44million.

Despite doing well in patches throughout the season, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men have fallen short on numerous occasions. The midfield has been a concern ever since they let Marouane Fellaini and Ander Herrera leave last year.

Solskjaer opted out from signing a midfielder last summer and decided to trust the players available at his disposal. And that seems to have cost the Red Devils in the first half of the campaign. Failing to replace Herrera and Fellaini coupled with injuries to Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay has severely affected Manchester United, who are currently fifth in the table.

The Red Devils boss did bolster his midfield options in January by signing Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon. Fernandes, 25, has made an encouraging start to life at United, which continued on Sunday when he scored an equalising goal in the team’s 1-1 draw with Everton. The Portuguese seamlessly slotting into the Red Devils’ starting XI is a real boost to Solskjaer but he needs to manage the midfielder responsibly.

The addition of Fernandes has not necessarily wiped out all of United’s problems in midfield. Solskjaer has only one defensive midfielder in Nemanja Matic, who has performed extremely well since the last couple of months or so. However, the Serb will turn 32 in August and is slowly entering the twilight of his career. Having said that, it is the right time for Solskjaer to sign a long-term replacement for Matic.

Thomas Partey could be that player for United. The midfielder struggled to establish himself as a regular in his first two seasons at Atletico but he has established himself as one of the club’s prized assets since the start of the 2017-18 season. He has racked up over 170 appearances for the Spanish side till date.

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Partey has volumes of experience at the highest level and has even scored seven times in 20 games for the Ghana national team. That clearly suggests the 26-year-old’s pedigree and why signing such a player would certainly help United.

Verdict

The 26-year-old’s best position is in a holding role just in front of the back four, but he can also operate at right-back and has done so in the past for Atletico. Such versatility could come handy for Solskjaer.

So if the Red Devils sign a player like Partey, they will have someone who would be a long-term replacement for the ageing Matic.