Manchester United identify the perfect Jadon Sancho alternative
Manchester United may have the ideal Jadon Sancho backup lined up…
According to the Manchester Evening News, Matondo is a backup target for Manchester United in case Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho, who is valued at £120 million, fails to make a move to Old Trafford
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer‘s record of signing players as Manchester United manager is excellent. Solskjaer also warrants credit for getting rid of unwanted players and reducing the average age of the United squad by infusing into the team the likes of Daniel James, Bruno Fernandes and Wan Bissaka.
Following the same strategy, Manchester United are monitoring the FC Schalke winger Rabbi Matondo and view him as a back-up option to primary target Jadon Sancho.He has established himself as a regular member in the Schalke first-team squad with 14 appearances for the club this season.
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Matondo started his football career at Cardiff City. His exceptional skills and elite performances earned a move to Premier League giants Manchester City as a youth academy player. After several appearances in the U21 side, he moved to Schalke for a fee of up to £11 million in 2019.
He played his first Bundesliga game as a substitute for Rudy in a 2-0 home loss to Borussia Mönchengladbach. Halfway through this season, he scored his only goal for the club in a 3-1 win against Nagelsmann’s RB Leipzig.
Like Daniel James, Matondo can carry the ball and extremely pacy when in possession, running into the flanks or in behind opposition defenders. His ability to launch quick counter-attacks will make him an asset in the Premier League, forcing mistakes from prominent defenders.
He is not the tallest or most prominent in terms of build and might struggle like James to deal with the physical nature of the Premier League. However, he can be deployed in several positions forward in either flank or as a false nine due to his incredible one-touch and ability to find spaces in opposition defence having a decent weak foot ability.
Sancho might rack up the stats, but he plays for an attacking Dortmund side, presenting him with more opportunities to create goals and assists compared to Matondo. The Schalke man is still developing and needs playing time before he can achieve his full potential, which he might find difficult in a star-studded Manchester United side.
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Is Matondo going to fit into Solskjaer’s plans?