Manchester United were desperate to sign a left-back before Tuesday’s deadline, but not desperate enough to overspend on a position that may prove to be the weakest link in the squad.
United’s desperation to sign a left-back is underlined by reports claiming the Red Devils knocked on their neighbours’ door to explore the possibility of signing Rayan Ait-Nouri after being offered to them by an agent a few days ago.
At the same time, the club’s decision to walk away from a permanent deal highlights their restraint, a common theme under INEOS. That decision may reflect well on United’s financial books, but it is not going to solve the critical left-back problem.
However, there is still an opportunity to make Michael Carrick’s life a little bit easier without deviating from their strategy, which seems to be another move for Lewis Hall next summer.
Why Manchester United could consider signing Oleksandr Zinchenko
Oleksandr Zinchenko finds himself without a club after his departure from Ajax.
The former Arsenal left-back moved to the Amsterdam club during the winter transfer window after his season-long loan with Nottingham Forest was brought to an early end.
The Ukrainian joined Ajax on a short-term deal until June. Unfortunately, he was ruled out for the remainder of last season after sustaining a knee injury in just his second game for the Dutch giants.
As such, the 29-year-old, who was once a jack of all trades for Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, where he won four Premier League titles, finds himself without a club this season.
Zinchenko is regarded as one of City’s biggest transfer successes, having joined the Sky Blues from Russian side Ufa in 2016 for just £1.7 million.
Across six seasons in Manchester, he made 128 appearances, impressing as a left-back and midfielder before sealing a £36m move to Arsenal in 2022.
Zinchenko is incredibly press-resistant due to his exceptional ball control. He likes to play short passes and is comfortable breaking lines through a pass or dribble, making him a cheat code during build-up against teams who like to press high.
One of the reasons Patrick Dorgu is not seen as genuine competition to Luke Shaw at left-back is the Dane’s lack of composure in possession. Zinchenko is arguably as good, if not better, than Shaw as an outlet to evade the opposition press and progress the play.
Out of possession, the Ukrainian left-back is comfortable when defending one-v-one, but lacks the athleticism to lock the left flank down, a bit like Shaw.
Zinchenko’s injury record is also not too dissimilar to the Englishman’s, but given United are not particularly determined to replace Shaw and only need quality cover for him, that should not be a major red flag, as long as he manages to pass the medical tests.
The club’s hierarchy, which is filled with former Manchester City figures who were open to signing a left-back from their former employers, could do a lot worse than taking a punt on another man with City on his CV.
Featured image by Ryan Pierse via Getty Images
