One of Tuesday night’s Champions League fixtures saw a dogged Celtic side face off against the old masters, Juventus, in what promised to be an interesting game.
And it didn’t disappoint. Celtic were good throughout, playing a high-tempo game, squeezing Juve high up the pitch and moving the ball about quickly when they got the chance. They were only let down by a lack of willingness to run at Juventus defenders and a lack of solidity at the back.
The 0-3 scoreline was a little harsh, but from the moment Mirko Vucinic found the bottom right hand corner of the net in the 82nd minute, it was clear that Neil Lennon’s boys had been given a schooling in Champions League football.
Juventus, whilst never quite at their best, were impressive. They soaked up pressure in a way becoming of a Serie A team, let Andrea Pirlo control their passing game in the midfield, whilst their forwards fed off scraps well and had effective games. Their team is packed with experience, classy, talented footballers and they now look like a sure thing for the next round of the Champions League.
In the long-term, however, it wouldn’t surprise me if a few of their players were snapped up by other clubs from England and Spain.
This brings me to Manchester United’s link to the aforementioned striker, Mirko Vucinic.
Yes, Sir Alex Ferguson already has Wayne Rooney, Robin Van Persie, Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez on his books, but having a wealth of attacking options has never stopped him making further additions in the past.
Vulcinic’s agent, Alessandro Lucci has told the Press that his client is on the radar of clubs like Manchester United: “It is not up to me to say, but United is a club of world level, as well as Juventus. So it is normal that this kind of teams follow Mirko.” (Source: The Express)
Vucinic, who has scored 9 times in 27 appearances this season, may feel his time at Juve is up, with Fernando Llorente on his way in this summer. Yes, he’s an effective player, who gets on the end of long-balls, causes havoc within penalty areas and sets up plenty of goals, but his scoring record has never really been all that great.
At Manchester United, he’d make for an excellent squad player and would give the likes of Javier Hernandez and Danny Welbeck a run for their money. A little competition is no bad thing.
What’s your take? Should Manchester United be in the market for Mirko?
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