GELSENKIRCHEN, GERMANY - DECEMBER 06: Ozan Kabak of Schalke runs with the ball during the Bundesliga match between FC Schalke 04 and Bayer 04 Leverkusen at Veltins-Arena on December 06, 2020 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Sporting stadiums around Germany remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)
According to Daily Mail, Manchester United have entered the race to sign Ozan Kabak. The Schalke man has attracted the attention of a plethora of elite teams with his performances and is considered as one of the best emerging defenders in Europe. The likes of Liverpool have been long-term admirers while RB Leipzig have also held interest.
Ozan Kabak joined Galatasaray’s academy back in 2011 and caught the eye across youth levels before signing his first professional contract in 2017. He made his first-team debut during the 2017-18 season and went on to feature 17 times in all competitions in the first half of the 2018-19 campaign.
The 20-year-old centre-back earned rave reviews for his performances in the group stages of the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League. That paved the way for a switch to the Bundesliga with VfB Stuttgart in January 2019. Kabak quickly established himself as a regular starter in Germany and finished the campaign with 15 league starts.
The Turk switched boats to join Schalke last summer and made 28 appearances in all competitions over the course of an impressive debut season, scoring thrice in the process (source – Transfermarkt).
Having already represented Turkey across U-16, U-17, and U-18 levels, Kabak made his senior international debut back in November last year and has since accumulated 6 caps to his name.
Quite how Manchester United find themselves within 5 points of league leaders Liverpool with a game in hand and yet crashed out of the Champions League is beyond logic. However, a closer look will tell you why.
Manchester United’s attack has bailed them out on way too many occasions in the league and while their defence was needed to do that in the Champions League, they let the team down. The club has only 6 clean sheets, out of which 2 are in the League Cup. So many of their victories have come after conceding the first goal.
A centre-back was the biggest requirement at the club in the summer but they failed to sign anyone. As the club are on the up, one can’t help but feel they still need at least another defender. Kabak would be a great signing in that regard.
The 20-year-old already boasts of an excellent CV for a player of his age. Kabak is very much a regular starter in the Bundesliga. He has also impressed in the Champions League, which clearly outlines his potential. The centre-back has also broken into the Turkey national team and looks destined to achieve big things in the future.
He looks capable of taking his game to a new level at Manchester United. With that in mind, Manchester United making a move for the promising Turk would be an excellent bit of business to beef up their backline.