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"He wants to take a step up" - Nigerian midfielder wants to join Manchester United this summer, claims his former teammate

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Former Nigerian striker Julius Aghahowa has claimed that Wilfred Ndidi wants to take a bold step in his football career by joining Manchester United. Aghahowa also added that a move which could see Ndidi join the Red Devils would be an excellent one.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Africa Foot, Julius Aghahowa revealed Ndidi's transfer aspirations this summer. He said:

“While Everton and Al-Ahli’s interest is obvious, Ndidi hopes to join Manchester United. He wants to take a step up by signing for a big club like Manchester United, It would be an excellent move for someone I consider one of the best African central midfielders of recent years. He’s powerful, capable of pressing, winning back balls, and creating space with his long diagonal runs.”

Ndidi is reportedly one of the midfielders that Manchester United are monitoring, according to TEAMtalk. By default, Ndidi's contract at Leicester City is expected to run till June 2027.

However, there's an £9 million release clause in his contract which could be triggered by potential suitors following Leicester's relegation from the Premier League last season. As a defensive midfielder, Ndidi is a player with a decent amount of Premier League experience.

The Nigerian is also well-known for his ball-winning proficiency and ability to stabilize the defensive side of the midfield. In 303 appearances for Leicester City, he has delivered 18 goals and 22 assists.

If Ndidi joins United, his defensive capability could help strengthen Ruben Amorim's midfield and options in general. However, Manchester United might be unwilling to sign a fresh defensive midfielder if they fail to offload one of their options currently at the club.

Manchester United presently have the trio of Casemiro, Manuel Ugarte, and Toby Collyer in the defensive midfield position. Thus, one of them might have to make way for the signing of Ndidi to maintain a balanced squad.

A more likely option would be Casemiro, given that the Brazilian has just one year left in his current deal at Old Trafford. Also, United would like to get a return on investment given his transfer cost (€70.65m) when he joined them from Real Madrid in 2022.

According to Sport_Jazirah on X, Casemiro has been linked with a move to Al-Nassr, and discussions are in advanced stages.

"I wish that he could succeed here" - Former Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata on Marcus Rashford's future at Old Trafford

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A-League Men Elimination Final - Western Sydney Wanderers v Melbourne Victory - Source: Getty

Juan Mata has revealed that he wishes that Marcus Rashford would succeed at Old Trafford. The Spaniard also claimed that if Rashford chooses to remain at United, it would be a win-win situation for himself and the club.

In a discussion with The Athletic, Mata said:

“As a Man United fan and as a friend of Marcus, I wish that he can succeed here because it’s his club, his boyhood club, I don’t know what’s going to happen but if he stays and he can actually be happy and enjoy, I think it will be a win-win situation for both the club and him.”

Marcus Rashford is one of United's home-grown talents, having risen through the ranks. However, his relationship with Ruben Amorim became sour last season, prompting exit talks.

In the previous season, Rashford had to be sent on loan to Aston Villa due to his fallout with Amorim. In his loan spell at Villa, Rashford scored four goals and delivered six assists in 17 games.

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Abel is an European football journalist who focuses primarily on analysis pieces and preview copies at Sportskeeda. A B.Sc degree holder in Economics, he has a previous work experience of 3 years – a year at Opera News Hub where he was promoted as a 'Verified Sports Writer,’ and over two years at Sportskeeda as a revenue-share writer, where his writing skills have ultimately led him to be integrated into the in-house team.

A Manchester United fan who grew up in a family of Red Devils supporters, he started his journey as an ardent football fan in his childhood. He used to spend hours watching the sport with his family and developed a knack for writing about the beautiful game over the years.

He is a huge admirer of Paul Pogba owing to the midfielder's ability to thread passes from anywhere on the pitch and his favorite manager is Jose Mourinho due to the Portuguese's tactical mind. He feels France's triumph in 2018 is his all-time favorite World Cup moment, and reckons Lamine Yamal and Endrick could replicate the rivalry between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Abel always strives to verify information, especially statistics, before penning a word and offers constructive but not defamatory criticisms. Apart from Europe's top five leagues, he follows the Eredivisie and the Primeira Liga. He loves to spend his free time playing video games like EA FC and watching movies.

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