Fabinho Would Be A Good Signing For Manchester United In January – Here’s Why
Fabinho has impressed across his three seasons at Monaco and was heavily linked with a Premier League switch in the summer but a move to England never materialised ahead of the 2017/18 campaign.
It’s understood Manchester United, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain had all expressed an interest in the versatile Brazilian in summer. However, PSG raided Monaco for Kylian Mbappe, City signed Bernardo Silva and Benjamin Mendy and United lured away Nemanja Matic from Chelsea to bolster their midfield.
Yet, according to reports, Jose Mourinho’s interest in the €25m rated Fabinho remains strong and United are thought to be frontrunners in the battle for his signature in January after the Brazilian admitted he was close to leaving the Principality this summer.
Fabinho, 24, was one of Monaco’s top performers last season, as they went on to clinch the French Ligue 1 crown and also made it as far as the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League. While it was the attackers—Radamel Falcao, Kylian Mbappe, Bernardo Silva and Thomas Lemar that garnered most of the attention for Monaco’s rich success—Fabinho’s impact on the team’s fortunes cannot be overlooked.
He was one of the stars for the French outfit but, unlike many of his colleagues in last season’s title-winning Monaco team, stayed to defend the title. Fabinho has played in 11 of Monaco’s Ligue 1 games this season, and has scored 2 goals and 1 assist so far.
The Brazilian had an unsuccessful spell at Real Madrid prior to his switch to Monaco. Fabinho, who started his career as a right back, was shifted to the midfield by Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim and has since impressed in the middle of the park with his all-round abilities.
Fabinho possesses a brilliant range of distribution that allows him to sit deep and pass the ball to his attackers with striking accuracy. Extremely composed on the ball, he is always ready to receive the ball and holds on to it in the tightest of the situations. Being a defensive midfielder, the Brazilian has a strong sense of passing and an eye for goal. His 10 goals last term across all competitions is a testament to his goal-scoring abilities.
These are exactly the attributes that Manchester United are currently lacking in their midfield. United’s flying start to the league has been hampered following the absence of midfielders Paul Pogba and Marouane Fellaini through injury and they currently trail cross-town rivals Manchester City.
While Pogba had started the season brilliantly before hurting his hamstring against Basel in Champions League, a foot injury in Belgium’s World Cup qualifiers derailed Fellaini’s progress, who was finally winning the United fans by becoming an impact substitute. The absence of the duo has left United light in midfield with only Ander Herrera and Nemanja Matic as recognised senior midfielders in the team.
Mourinho has been asked several times in press conferences about the return date of Pogba and Fellaini from injury and the Portuguese has maintained his stance by saying ‘no idea’. Also, Michael Carrick, who has signed a one-year extension with United, has entered the final stages of his career and cannot play week in week out on a consistent basis.
This makes Fabinho an enticing option for United; one who possesses the all-round abilities to fill the big-boots of the ageing Carrick. Beyond the resurgent Antonio Valencia, Matteo Darmian has not convinced Mourinho at right-back and Fabinho’s versatility would become handy at this point as he can also slot in as a full-back whenever needed.
Also, the matter of fact the Brazilian can score a lot of goals; whether from the penalty-spot or open play, adds value to the player. Given Fabinho’s energetic displays and flexibility, the midfielder would be a fantastic signing for Mourinho’s United in January.