Simply put, Manchester United have been performing at an incredibly poor level this season, way below the standards for a club of their magnitude. The Red Devils are sixth in the Premier League, out of the Champions League and only three clubs have lost more games than them across Europe: Burnley, Almeria and Union Berlin.
Erik ten Hag’s team is tactically naive and offers way too many opportunities away, as shown by them now holding the record for the worst-ever goals conceded by an English club in the Champions League group stages.
With that statistic in mind, United may look to strengthen their squad this January by signing a star with plenty of potential.
Man Utd transfers latest – Khephren Thuram
According to Italian outlet CalcioMercato, Manchester United are interested in signing Khephren Thuram from Nice.
Both Manchester clubs and Liverpool have made contact with the French side and the players' representatives, with a move to the Premier League looking likely.
The midfielder can be picked up for as little as £35m according to prior reports but given that he is a vital player for Nice, a move in January is unlikely.
How Khephren Thuram compares to Paul Pogba
Thuram has been at the heart of Nice’s excellent form so far this season, which sees them sit in second place with just one loss. The midfielder has featured in 12 games thus far and earned a call-up to the France squad.
Comparisons between Thuram and Paul Pogba have been made due to their height, technical ability, and being “incredibly powerful," as per Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig.
The 22-year-old has also been labelled as fast and “athletic” by Kulig, using those attributes to breeze past players with close dribbling and his 6 foot 4 frame, which is very Pogba-esque.
The table below compares Thuram’s stats from across Europe’s top leagues in the last 365 days to Pogba’s 2021/22 Premier League campaign.
Shot-creating actions
3.57
3.80
Successful take-ons
1.77
2.60
Progressive carries
3.43
2.27
Carries into final third
3.00
1.71
Passes completed
37.24
49.10
Progressive passes
4.49
7.81
As you can see, they both like to use their dribbling to bypass opposition midfielders, with the Nice player particularly relying on it as a form of creativity. They are also incredible ball carriers, which fits in perfectly with Manchester United’s heavy-transition-focused approach under Ten Hag.
The main difference between the two is that the former United player is much more involved in the play and has superior passing ability.
Thuram does rank quite low for completed passes, in the bottom 31 percentile in Europe, meaning that he hasn’t shown the ability to offer much control yet, but given that he is young, he has plenty of time to develop that side of his game. The ex-Monaco midfielder is also less of a threat in the final third, as showcased by his failure to register a goal contribution this season.
Overall, Thuram is a box-to-box midfielder by trade who has featured mostly on the left of a midfield three, although he can play slightly deeper. His ability to cover ground, drive his team forward, and open up space with his dribbling would be perfect for Manchester United, who lack just that and haven’t had a dribbler in midfield since the days of Pogba.
