Why Man United Must Fight Tooth-And-Nail To Land Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon
Manchester United were linked with signing Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon in the summer but a move did not materialise. Their interest remains unwavered, however, but should United look to sign the talented wonder kid in a January deal?
The Red Devils are still on the hunt for a quality left-back and have been long-term admirers of the 17-year-old Sessegnon, who can play at left-back, left midfield and left wing. Although Fulham may not be too keen to let go of Sessegnon, who made 25 appearances in the Championship last season, United could still look to tempt the youngster.
The £50m rated Sessegnon, who grew up in Roehampton in south-west London, has been an ever-present for Fulham in the Championship this season and has been capped by England at under-16, U17 and U19 level. He broke into the first-team setup last season at Fulham and impressed everyone with his performance on the left-hand side of the defence. In fact, he notched up 7 goals and 5 assists in 31 appearances, which were enough for him to be heralded as the latest sensation.
After finishing 6th last season, Fulham have made a disappointing start to their league season, drawing 7 and losing 5 of their first 16 games, making United seem like an interesting prospect for Sessegnon.
The player would not only be a smart buy in terms of quality, but would also represent a younger option, even if he may be inexperienced. Sessegnon is keen to clock regular minutes on the field and that shouldn’t be a problem at Old Trafford, considering the club’s current situation at the left-back position.
Luke Shaw’s problems refuse to fade away and Jose Mourinho has been using makeshift options so far. Daley Blind has slotted in well on certain occasions but the player often gets caught by pace, something that does lead to trouble. After that, the Portuguese manager deployed Ashley Young as a left-back and the player has been doing really well in that role. In fact, his stellar displays have seen him become a regular of sorts in that position. However, the need for a natural left-back remains ever-present at United.
The fact that Luke Shaw has returned from injury but is yet to feature in a league match does seem to hint that perhaps Mourinho has something else in mind for Shaw. A sale appears to be the only solution that will benefit both, the club and the player. As of now, Shaw is doing nothing to add value to the club while United are continuing to pay for his services. Thus, a January exit for Shaw seems to be the most obvious thing on the manager’s mind.
Once that happens, Sessegnon can come in and make the left-back position his own, and Mourinho will always have Young to depend on otherwise.