Manchester United have missed out on the chance to sign French talent Kader Meite, but Ineos won’t be too worried, considering one player already at the club.
Despite scouting and admiring the France U21 striker from Rennes, Manchester United ultimately weren’t going to make a move this month.
But with Rennes in need of a financial boost, they were keen to sell Kader Meite during the January transfer window.
Now, it has been reported that Meite has agreed to join Al-Hilal for a fee of around £26m, with the 18-year-old heading to Saudi Arabia for what is assumed to be a massive paycheck.
However, United shouldn’t lose much sleep over missing the striker.
Imagine you are Jason Wilcox… what transfer business would you do before deadline day?
Go all out for a midfielder? Make a under the radar swoop? Let us know!
Chido Obi could be playing regularly in Ligue 1 already
United needed to sell Joshua Zirkzee in order to sign Meite, which never looked likely, and now the ship has sailed.
However, signing an 18-year-old from the French league would always have been a huge risk, and Meite is far from the finished product.
The quality of Ligue 1 usually means it is an unreliable indicator of whether a talent is Premier League-ready. So adding Meite would have been silly when United have Chido Obi developing well within the ranks.
Obi has been in the academy this season, but we shouldn’t be fooled, as this is primarily for his development and not because he isn’t good enough.
Over the past six months, Obi has seen his game transformed, adding a variety of new qualities to his bow as a striker and still scoring goals even if at a lesser rate.
United haven’t even scraped the top of the iceberg with Obi yet, already we have seen him come into the first team last season and impress even in the worst ever Red Devils team many have seen.
Obi’s hold up, finishing, intelligence, and improving physicality would see him ready to play in multiple top European leagues, maybe even Ligue 1 right now, but he is kept at United with the idea that he will be ready to properly contribute next season when the club has Europe.
Meite is nowhere near as well-rounded as Obi right now, having the edge physically but not in any other way. Obi just needs his chance to prove it.
Would you give Chido Obi another chance in the first-team?
He's improved a lot for Manchester United…
Manchester United should be looking to send Obi on loan
Obi has developed loads in the past few months, yet the prospect of first-team football at United this season is practically zero, given there are just 15 games left.
So, instead of letting Obi continue in the academy, United should find the youngster a short-term loan where he will play a lot of football, even if it means dropping a few levels down.
The perfect loan would be a team chasing promotion, where Obi will get lots of minutes, perhaps in League One, to ensure he plays.
This would only be for four months or so, yet it would give the Danish wonderkid immeasurable experience and also boost his reputation and confidence, which would either secure him a loan higher up next season or a boost in his United chances.
The club will know best whether he is ready, and we think he is, but it should be massively considered so that Obi can prove he’s better than Meite and that Ineos were right not to move for him.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/JkRid8L