Lucas Ocampos has been in sensational form for Sevilla this season (Getty Images)
According to ESPN (h/t Mirror), Manchester United identified Sevilla winger Lucas Ocampos as a potential alternative after failing to get deals over the line for rumoured top targets Jadon Sancho and Ousmane Dembele.
As per the report, United’s scouts were running the rule over the Argentine international ahead of a potential transfer to Old Trafford. Sevilla were understood to be open to the prospect of cashing in on the 26-year-old and were willing to accept a bid in the region of £36million for the versatile attacker.
Lucas Ocampos rose through the youth ranks of River Plate in Argentina before completing a move to Europe with French club Monaco. He caught the eye during Monaco’s promotion-winning Ligue 2 campaign and also made a positive impression in the top-flight.
The Argentine winger joined Marseille in a permanent deal in 2015 following a successful loan stint and went on to spend four seasons at the club, either side of loan spells with AC Milan and Genoa in Italy. Ocampos accumulated 27 goals and 15 assists in 132 appearances for the French giants, playing a key role as Marseille finished runners-up in the 2017-18 Europa League.
Ocampos went on to enjoy a fantastic debut season in Spain last term after being transferred to Sevilla in the summer of 2019. The 26-year-old bagged 17 goals and 5 assists in 44 appearances across all competitions as Sevilla won the Europa League and finished 4th in the La Liga.
United strung together a series of positive results towards the back end of the previous campaign to secure a third-place finish in the Premier League. The fans would have expected Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side to build on their stellar end to last season with a thumping start to the 2020-21 campaign but things have hardly gone their way so far.
The Red Devils have lost two of their three opening league fixtures this term, with the team’s latest 6-1 debacle against Tottenham raising plenty of questions over the manager’s credentials. United have conceded as many 11 goals in the Premier League so far while scoring just 5 in the process (only three from open play).
While the defenders have struggled to replicate their solid displays from the previous campaign, United have also lacked creativity and cutting-edge in their attack. The Red Devils have continued to rely on the likes of Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, and Mason Greenwood but Solskjaer still lacks quality depth in his options to implement a proper Plan B.
While the arrival of Edinson Cavani does give Solskjaer a different No.9 to work with, the club’s primary focus should have been to bolster the right-wing.
Daniel James remains a key squad player at Old Trafford but it goes without saying that United ideally need another versatile attacker to improve their squad dynamics. Lucas Ocampos, to that end, perfectly fits the bill with a proven track record of goals and assists in some of the top leagues in Europe.
The Argentine international’s ambipedal nature makes him a feasible option on either side of the attack while his physicality (Ocampos is 6ft 2in) indicates that the 26-year-old would have been able to cope with the rough-and-tough nature of English game.
Suffice to say, Man United completing a move for Lucas Ocampos would have added a lot more depth, quality and versatility to their forward line. The Argentine wizard was quite fantastic for Sevilla in the La Liga and Europa League last season.
Ocampos has his best years ahead of him at 26, so the Red Devils should have signed the Argentine attacker before the deadline.