TalkSport insider Alex Crook thinks that Manchester United need to look at buying Declan Rice this summer rather than Harry Kane.
A 3-1 win at Aston Villa on Sunday ensured Champions League qualification and meant that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men still have a very faint chance of catching Manchester City for the Premier League title, after a season in which they have taken a step forward compared to where they finished off top spot in 2019/20.
And speaking on the TalkSport Gameday podcast (55:50), Crook was discussing players that the Red Devils could bring in to mount a serious title challenge, and even though they have been linked with the Tottenham forward Harry Kane recently, the journalist felt they needed to look elsewhere on the pitch if they were to put up a fight against Manchester City at the top of the league:
“You know the player I think they should break the bank for, and the player who’d make a massive difference to this Manchester United team? Declan Rice. You stick Declan Rice alongside McTominay who I like in front of that backline, it would make a huge difference.
“I’m not sure, as much as they’d love to have Harry Kane, if you’re spending £80/100m, I’m not sure that’s the area of the team where they really need to invest.”
Would Rice be a good addition for Manchester United?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts on Alex Crook’s comments about signing Declan Rice
Rice, valued at £54m on Transfermarkt, is also someone that Man Utd have been linked with in the past transfer windows, and if you look at the Premier League table, they are much closer to Manchester City in terms of goals scored (5), than they are for goals conceded (10).
So if they are to catch up, you could argue that stopping goals going in is the area to focus on. Especially true when you consider they have goals coming from multiple areas and players on the pitch.
And with Rice averaging 1.9 tackles and 2 interceptions per game, that’s more than the vast majority of players in the Man Utd squad this season (stats from WhoScored), so his addition certainly would give them some added protection to stop the balls flying in at the wrong end.
Let’s just wait and see if Solskjaer agrees or if he decides to focus on scoring more goals instead.
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