Manchester United are reportedly interested in signing Fulham sensation Joao Palhinha this summer, with manager Erik ten Hag looking to strengthen his midfield ranks ahead of next season.
What’s the latest on Palhinha’s move to Manchester United?
According to The Sun, the Red Devils are’monitoring’ the 27-year-old ahead of the upcoming transfer window, with the Carabao Cup winners expected to’make their move’ once the market re-opens.
According to the report, the former Sporting CP ace, who only joined Craven Cottage on a £17 million deal last summer, could fetch as much as £60 million if he were to leave in the near future, with Marco Silva’s side having already identified a potential replacement for the Portugal international in Porto’s Mateus Uribe.
Palhinha appears to have been a long-term target for those at the Theatre of Dreams, with reports early last year claiming that United were keeping tabs on the 20-cap menace.
Is Palhinha a good fit for Manchester United?
While the 6 foot 3 titan may not be the playmaking, Frenkie de Jong-esque signing that Ten Hag is looking for, he would certainly add some steel to a midfield department that has only recently been strengthened by the £70 million signing of Casemiro from Real Madrid last summer.
The prospect of pairing the latter with Palhinha on occasion is truly tantalizing, with the Old Trafford outfit set to have a truly menacing and destructive duo on their hands in front of the back four.
In the case of the Cottagers’ rock, the £50k-per-week monster has arguably been “one of the season’s signings,” according to Sky Sports reporter Jamie Weir, after being a real standout presence at the heart of the midfield in west London throughout the current campaign.
Weir described the towering brute as “strong as an ox,” and he currently leads the division in tackles made (105) as evidence of his ball-winning prowess, making nine tackles and winning 12 duels against Ten Hag’s men in the Premier League back in November.
That class was on display again when the two sides met in the FA Cup prior to the international break, with Palhinha winning nine of his 13 total duels and demonstrating his quality in possession by completing three of his four attempted dribbles.
With the Brazil international – who Ten Hag has hailed as the “cement” in the side – also a ferocious presence in the centre of the park after averaging 3.1 tackles per game this season in the league, a record only slightly lower than that of Palhinha (four tackles per game) – having such an all-rounder alongside Casemiro would certainly offer the top-four hopefuls real solidity.
That partnership would also potentially allow the current United man to offer more in terms of creativity, having created five big chances and averaging 0.9 key passes per game, with Palhinha providing more of a defensive shield, having created zero big chances and averaging just 0.2 key passes per game.
Whether or not the deal goes through, it would be interesting to see Ten Hag put together a midfield pairing that few teams in the league would want to face.
