Manchester United have had a mixed start to the season so far. Going into the big fixture against Arsenal at Old Trafford, United are in the midst of a mixed bag of results. They’ve had their problems in the attacking front as well as in the defensive side of things. Summer signing Eric Bailly impressed, to begin with, but has recently been sidelined with an injury problem. Mourinho doesn’t seem to trust Smalling enough and even had a public falling out with Luke Shaw.
All these issues don’t bode well for United’s season going forward. Jose Mourinho was brought in to restore some parity at Old Trafford and that hasn’t quite happened yet. It is obvious that Jose Mourinho will need a couple of transfer windows to get his team right. Currently, there are a number of positions that could do with a cover of some kind. The one of left-back, in particular, has been earmarked for changes. Brazilian Guilherme Arana is making a name for himself at Corinthians has been named as a potential target.
The defender’s agent was also spotted at the Manchester United office, adding fuel to the rumours that Arana was well and truly on his way to Old Trafford. The move could be reminiscent of Anderson’s move from Porto and also the combined arrival of Brazilian twins Fabio and Rafael. These Brazilians moved to United at a very young age and established themselves as first teamers before waning away and moving onto other clubs.
The Brazilian is quite diminutive in nature and likes to get well forward if given the chance. He also has a battery pack of energy that lets him run efficiently throughout the duration of the game. The worrying thing though is, the youngster has had very few games as a senior professional in the Brazilian league. This inexperience might cost him should he make the move to Manchester United.
Another stumbling block in the name of a work permit could appear if United make a move for Arana. The left back isn’t a part of the Brazil national team yet and this could hinder his chances of gaining a work permit that is needed by Non-EU players who intend to ply their trade in the Barclays Premier League.
The left back impressed hugely when the England U-20 team took on the Brazil U-20 team. He simply terrorised the English boys on his side of the field by constantly getting down the flank and his service to his teammates wasn’t too bad either.
It is still early days in Arana’s career, but should he make the move to Manchester United he could really flourish under the eyes of Jose Mourinho, who sees Arana as a replacement for the outbound Luke Shaw or Daley Blind, who have been used in rotation at left back for United this season. While Blind has done okay for himself, it’s Shaw that has faced considerable flak from his manager and there has reportedly even been a falling out between the two.
Style of play
Guilherme Arana stands at 5’9 ft and usually plays at left back. Like most South American fullbacks, Arana too is an ardent fan of getting forward. He is an offensive minded player that has been earmarked to represent Brazil on the national stage soon.
What he could bring to Manchester United
With Matteo Darmian likely to be ousted from the club too, Arana could become a genuine contender to start under Jose Mourinho. Mourinho in the past has shown that if a young player has the talent, he will play him regardless of factors such as inexperience. Arana could prove to be an excellent outlet on the left-hand side where Shaw, Rojo and Darmian have all put in shifts this season, but not to good effect by any stretch of an imagination. United are in need of a left back like their former player Patrice Evra, who had excellent traits. Arana will be hoping to emulate the Frenchman.
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