Erik Ten Hag could be set to land his very own Mo Salah amid links to £65m “demon”
Manchester United will be looking improve on 2022/23 when the new campaign rolls around in a matter of weeks, with Erik ten Hag just getting started at Old Trafford.
Last summer saw the likes of Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez and Antony arrive in Manchester, and despite the encouraging signs – a first trophy in six years combined with qualification for the Champions League next season – the onus will be on the Dutchman to ramp up his recruitment and bring some world-class players to the Red Devils to challenge Manchester City for the ultimate prizes.
With that in mind, United have been linked with a move for Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby this summer, and a fee of £65m has been touted due to the Frenchman still having two years left on his current contract at the Bundesliga side.
With Ten Hag looking at improving his attacking options ahead of next season, Diaby could shine on either the right or left wing for the Red Devils next term, especially considering his performances in Germany over the previous few seasons (31 goals and 25 assists) while he is also statistically similar to a current Premier League sensation in Mohamed Salah.
Could Moussa Diaby improve Manchester United?
Salah has become one of the finest attacking players in the English top flight since joining Liverpool from AS Roma in 2017, scoring 137 goals and registering 62 assists in what has simply been a stunning spell of success for the Egyptian, suggesting that it isn’t a bad comparison for Diaby to have.
The Liverpool star is the most comparable player to Diaby according to FBref, and if Ten Hag could land someone who can have a similar impact to that of the 31-year-old in the Premier League, it could prove to be an excellent signing.
Indeed, Salah and Diaby both rank in the top 10% across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for shots on target per 90 (1.31 to 1.22 respectively) and the top 20% for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.55 to 0.33), while they have also registered similar statistics with regard to shot-creating actions per 90 (3.83 to 3.67) and successful take-ons (51 to 50).
The pair obviously are extremely dangerous from a wide position, scoring plenty of goals themselves while also generating plenty of chances for others, and this is something that Ten Hag could do with in abundance.
The nine-cap France international has also been lauded as a “demon” by ‘Euro Expert’ journalist Alex, and the speedy winger is simply a must-buy for United during this transfer window if they look to increase their goal output from the flanks.