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Manchester United have “held talks” with Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo because the membership ramps up plans for a complete overhaul of Ruben Amorim’s first-team squad this summer time, in line with a report by talkSPORT.
Semenyo, 25, has loved a breakout season for the Cherries with 9 targets and 5 assists within the league this yr because the winger has helped propel Andoni Iraola’s facet to their greatest Premier League marketing campaign in historical past.
Regardless of being deployed as a extra conventional broad midfielder within the Spanish supervisor’s 4-4-2 set-up, Semenyo has discovered no difficulty being a continuing menace to opposition defences.
The Ghanaian worldwide is equally comfy enjoying on both wing and demonstrates a potent pairing of velocity and dimension, possessing an often imposing 6’1 body for a winger whereas retaining wonderful mobility.
Semenyo can be as hard-working off the ball as he’s skilful on it – a prerequisite to play in Iraola’s high-intensity system which seeks to suffocate groups via fixed strain.
The 25-year-old ranks within the 98th percentile for blocks, 94th for aerial duels, 86th for clearances and seventy fifth for tackles amongst wingers throughout Europe’s prime leagues.
And it’s this profile – an industrious winger with versatility, approach and physicality in equal measure – which is more likely to be driving Amorim’s obsession with the Bournemouth star. The Portuguese coach is described as “very fond” of Semenyo after beforehand revealing the necessity to elevate the bodily ground of United’s squad.
One of many key points Amorim has encountered since arriving at Previous Trafford is an absence of choices for the wing-back place – an important space of the pitch in his 3-4-2-1 system.
Regardless of signing a specialist in Patrick Dorgu in January, the perfect performances at wing-back have come from the group’s simplest ahead, Amad.
The Ivorian winger provides a degree of attacking menace from the appropriate wing-back place that neither senior choice – Diogo Dalot or Noussair Mazraoui – can match, nor have any of the candidates at left wing-back come near replicating on the opposite facet of the pitch.
If United had been to signal Semenyo – a participant with the excellent skillet to thrive as a wing-back in Amorim’s system – it might allow the Portuguese coach to maintain Amad as considered one of his quantity tens, whereas the Ghanaian worldwide overlaps the 22-year-old winger on the surface.
Equally, Semenyo’s versatility would additionally allow Amorim to play him at left wing-back instead of a extra defensive choice like Dorgu or Luke Shaw, ought to he need to subject a extra attacking line-up by enjoying Amad on the opposing flank.
Given how essential the wing-backs to Amorim’s system it’s little marvel the Crimson Devils have already approached Bournemouth over a possible deal for Semenyo. A value of £70 million has been mooted to safe the 25-year-old’s providers, which had initially considered too costly for United’s finances.
However the truth the membership have now held direct talks with the participant himself, as per talkSPORT, suggests a transfer could possibly be heading within the path their head coach desires for a goal he’s smitten with.
Featured picture Lewis Storey by way of Getty Photographs
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