Striker should snub Manchester United for Leicester

(L-R), Joshua Brenet of PSV, Ahmed Musa of CSKA Moscow during the UEFA Champions League match between PSV Eindhoven and CSKA Moscow on December 8, 2015 at the Philips stadium in Eindhoven, The Netherlands.(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images)
(L-R), Joshua Brenet of PSV, Ahmed Musa of CSKA Moscow during the UEFA Champions League match between PSV Eindhoven and CSKA Moscow on December 8, 2015 at the Philips stadium in Eindhoven, The Netherlands.(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images) /
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Manchester United and Leicester are locked in a transfer tussle for striker Ahmed Musa

Manchester United and Leicester are both in the market for attacking additions this January. Now it seems that the two clubs have seen their interests converge in a battle for CSKA Moscow striker Ahmed Musa.

Sky Sports reports that the Russian giants are willing to sell Musa, but only if they can receive a fee of 18 million pounds. Leicester are hesitant to meet that evaluation, but Manchester United might be willing to pay that fee for the pacy attacker.

While Musa has the ability to impact either club, he’d be wise to snub van Gaal’s interest and sign for Ranieri’s Foxes. Their playing style is an ideal fit for the Nigerian striker.

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The 23-year-old Musa has split his appearances evenly between striker and left-sided attacking midfielder at CSKA. He’s given them a solid return of six goals and two assists in his 18 Russian Premier League appearances. It’s important to note, that the quality of his play both in terms of goals and statistical rating increased sharply when he’s deployed out on the left.

That makes him an ideal fit to play a wide-role for Leicester alongside their prolific striker Jamie Vardy. He could provide the Foxes another option to stretch the field both laterally and vertically. Trying to defend the pace of both Vardy and Musa at the same time would cause significant problems for Premier League defenses.

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At Manchester United, Musa would join an already crowded attacking midfield. I really can’t see him displacing Juan Mata on a regular basis, despite the fact that I’d support that change. That would leave him to compete with Memphis Depay and Jesse Lingard for minutes on the other side. He’d play significant minutes for Manchester United, but I like his odds of receiving regular starts much better at Leicester.

There, he could flourish starting at striker. He wouldn’t be asked to do too much like he might be at Old Trafford. He would just be asked to hit out at opponents on the counter attack with his pace. It would only be a matter of settling into a rhythm with the likes of Vardy and Riyad Mahrez before Musa could add to their attacking prowess.

It isn’t often that players should be advised to turn their back on an offer from Manchester United, but Ahmed Musa would be wise to do so. He’s a much better fit at Leicester where he’d play in a much better position, much more often for the clever Foxes.