Manchester United have been looking to strengthen their roster in the current summer transfer window, and Ruben Amorim looks to strengthen his squad to bring quality to his roster at Old Trafford, and per the latest reports, the Portuguese head coach has been eyeing a move for Brazilian midfielder Gabriel Sara from Galatasaray.
The Premier League heavyweights had a disastrous Premier League campaign last season where they finished right at the bottom of the table in the English top tier as they finished 15th in the league table. But INEOS have wanted no time in compounding their squad as United add Brazilian international Matheus Cunha to the roster at M16, while the chiefs at Carrington are also pushing ahead with a move for Bryan Mbeumo alongside him; now there is interest in adding another Brazilian to their midfield.
In Gabriel Sara, the Manchester Reds are looking to settle on their plans for the midfield for the upcoming season after securing the future of Bruno Fernandes. The future of veteran midfielder Casemiro at M16 is still doubtful given how the club is looking to ship his hefty wages off the books, and then there have been questions raised over Kobbie Mainoo as well given his hefty wage demands, which has led the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea to try to take the academy graduate away from United.
And now Amorim & Co. are looking to bolster the midfield options with Sara, given that the Turkish giants would be willing to hear offers worth around £25m this summer, which would be a £10m book profit for them in a year’s time.
How can Sara fit in at M16?
The former Norwich City midfielder, who has been described as magical, can play in a box-to-box hybrid role (as a #8 as well as #10) at Man Utd. Given that Ruben Amorim likes to play a secondary runner or playmaker besides a defensive pivot, he can play Sara in more of a hybrid role given how the Brazilian is good at linking defence to attack. The 25-year-old has also shown vision complemented by pressing intelligence and vertical passing during his time in Turkey.
We saw how he thrived playing in a high-tempo transitional setup at Galatasaray, and this could be seen in his 10 assists for them and that 83.6% pass accuracy. This ability to drive forward and open passing lanes is something that the Portuguese head coach will love, given his aggressive counter-press structure that thrives on vertical transitions.
Strengths
He is a hybrid player that is capable of playing in different roles across midfield, and this will hand Man Utd a sense of tactical versatility in games. And the fact that he is press resistant and strong under pressure situations will likely help the Portuguese head coach get a progressive player capable of carrying and retaining in the middle of the park. Sara can also rotate roles with other players, which could be critical in different game sets.
Sara brings to the table what United currently lack, given his vertical midfield movements complemented by his chance-creating abilities.
Weaknesses
He has limited experience in England, given his one season at Norwich City. Andy, whilst Sara has a lot of skill sets, he isn’t able to replicate his versatility into goal scoring quite often, so United will have to pair him with a goal scorer midfielder. The 25-year-old isn’t a dominant player in the air.
Gabriel Sara can add a lot to the current roster at M16
How can Gabriel Sara complement other players at United?
As I mentioned about his rotational capacity before, Sara can rotate as a playmaker with someone like Bruno along the games at M16, given how he can ease the pressure whilst introducing a variety of options to get better at offensive situations. He also has a timed delivery which can suit the likes of Amad and Cunha, given their intricate movements along the channels.
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Author Opinion
Gabriel Sara looks like a tactically clever player who has that dynamism that Manchester United need under Ruben Amorim. He also has that creative understanding complemented by transitional flair that could compound a lot under the Portuguese head coach. And then he doesn’t come at a very big financial commitment.