Ruben Amorim has a plan in mind if Manchester United are successful in their pursuit to sign Bournemouth talisman Antoine Semenyo.
Antoine Semenyo emerged as a Manchester United target in the summer, but Ineos opted to sign Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford instead.
Mbeumo has hit the ground running at Old Trafford and won the club’s Player of the Month award in October after inspiring a winning run throughout the month.
United will miss Mbeumo for the foreseeable future while he represents Cameroon at the Africa Cup of Nations.
One Premier League player not going to AFCON is Semenyo due to Ghana’s failure to qualify. He remains at Bournemouth, but there is constant speculation over a potential exit in January due to a £65 million release clause.
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Semenyo scored in United’s 4-4 draw against Bournemouth on Monday night, as the winger proved to be a threat on both flanks.
Antoine Semenyo holding the ball at Old Trafford
Photo by Robin Jones – AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images
Ruben Amorim has two positions in mind for Antoine Semenyo
United remain in the race for Semenyo even though Amorim has other problems in the team that need to be addressed.
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The defence is still leaking goals, and the midfield lacks control, but that has not stopped United from showing an interest in Semenyo.
It can be argued that Semenyo could play three positions for United, with Amorim admiring the player’s versatility.
According to Miguel Delaney on Back Pages via Sky Sports, Amorim would like to use Semenyo in the attack primarily, but at times would use him as a wing-back.
“And also, one of the reasons that Amorim particularly likes him is another reason why everyone wants him, because he can play in a range of positions,” Delaney said.
“So from what I was told yesterday, obviously United and Amorim would want to use him in attack given he’s been so strong there, but they also see a value in that he provides a really strong option as an attacking wing back in this. Amorim obviously isn’t moving from this system, as it’s been one of the themes of the season, even if there are minor tweaks in it. But from what I’m told, he can envisage a team with Semenyo on one side and Diallo on the other, and United kind of tearing at teams from all angles in that way, and that might have surprised people.
“But if you do speak to people in football, there’s actually a logic to this, especially with how attacking that position can be if used in the right way. Yes, wing-back sounds defensive, but it all depends on deployment, and I think Semenyo can be devastating from there. But yeah, I mean, United like him, but so do a lot of teams.”
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Delaney adds that Semenyo is attracting interest from more clubs than United, with Man City and Tottenham Hotspur believed to be in the race for his signature.
Antoine Semenyo among Premier League top scorers
Semenyo warrants links to United and other top clubs because he has been one of the most dangerous players in the Premier League this season.
The Bournemouth star has scored seven goals in the Premier League, which means he is ranked third in the top scorers charts with seven goals.
Only Erling Haaland (17) and Igor Thiago (11) have more goals in the league this season.
It is worth noting that Mbeumo has scored one goal less than Semenyo, but he could be out of action for up to a month if Cameroon go all the way in Morocco.
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