Manchester United finally confirmed the appointment of Erik ten Hag on Thursday as the Red Devils secured their man ahead of the 2022/23 season.
Attention will now turn to the rebuild with Ralf Rangnick suggesting as many as ten new faces could walk through the door this summer.
What’s the word?
One player who ten Hag may look to bring to Old Trafford when the transfer window opens is RB Leipzig’s Christopher Nkunku.
Amid sending scouts to watch him, United learned that the attacker had a price tag of £52m earlier this week but doubts have now clouded any possible deal.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano took to Twitter to relay comments from the club’s director who said: “I have said it before, and I will say it again here: Nkunku will be our player again next season.”
That won’t bode well for the Red Devils but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t still try and prise him away from Germany.
Their very own Salah
At first glance, the play style of Nkunku and Mo Salah doesn’t exactly compare too well.
Do you want Nkunku at Man United?
One is right-footed and used to playing on the left-hand side of the offensive line or behind the striker, while the other is the polar opposite, devastatingly efficient at cutting in from the right on their stronger left foot.
However, the data demonstrates that they are actually more alike than first meets the eye.
For starters, Nkunku is ruthless in front of goal, scoring 30 times throughout the current campaign and also registering a whopping 20 assists.
With a staggering 50 goal involvements in all competitions, he is ahead of Salah who has 42 in comparison.
Both incredibly dangerous in the final third, there are some more in-depth stats where similarities can be drawn.
When assessing FB Ref’s ‘similar player model, Salah and Nkunku are directly comparable and it’s easy to see why beyond their goal tallies.
Both players complete around 28 passes per 90 minutes while they also progress the ball with their passing between 111 and 116 yards per 90 minutes. Furthermore, the terrifying duo have both completed between 120 and 125 shot-creating actions in total this season.
When it comes to beating players, they are also incredibly similar from a data perspective.
The French forward has been dubbed a “nightmare” by ESPN and “unstoppable” by GOAL, and has proven exactly that with his dribbling numbers, achieving 2.11 successful dribbles and 6.02 progressive carries per 90.
As for Liverpool’s Egyptian king, he has managed 1.94 successful dribbles and 6.81 progressive carries per 90 minutes.
Consequently, it’s clear to see what Nkunku would provide United and if he could light up the Premier League as Salah has done, ten Hag will have an almighty player on his hands during his debut campaign in England.
