Manchester United in hunt for Mali’s Midfield Metronome Aliou Dieng

Manchester United in hunt for Mali’s Midfield Metronome Aliou Dieng

Aliou Dieng

Manchester United have struggled in the defence in the past year and most of their defensive fragilities have been down to the fact that they lack a strong, defensive midfielder who can boss the game. The double pivot duo of Scott Mctominay and Fred have been decent, but they have been exposed on quite few occasions leaving the defence vulnerable as Manchester United shipped in 44 goals while they were chasing their neighbours City in the league who let in 32 goals. The defensive fragilities have hurt Manchester United on numerous occasions and dented their title hopes, an area which needs to be bolstered immediately in this upcoming transfer window.

With finances tight in this window due to the coronavirus pandemic, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would be keen to add names to his midfield, with Nemanja Matic entering the final phase of his career and Paul Pogba linked with a move away from Manchester United.

According to reputable African journalist Micky Jnr, Manchester United are in the hot pursuit of Aliou Dieng. The Al Ahly and Mali midfielder have garnered quite attention for his performance in the Egyptian League and United scouts will be on the lookout of the player in the upcoming CAF Champions  League semi-final between Al Ahly and Esperance Tunis.

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Why is United So Interested in Aliou?

Manchester United have approached CAF to ask permission to send scouts during the second leg semi-final tie in Cairo this Saturday. Dieng is an exciting option for Manchester United as he would comparably cheaper than other Manchester United targets.  The midfielder has made a lasting impression in the Egyptian League and has amassed 76 appearances for Al Ahly since joining them in 2019.

Can Dieng see amove to Man Utd this summer?

A holding defensive midfielder by trade, Dieng is known for his robust nature and physical attributes. The 23 year old have a knack for attacking passes too as he has registered seven assist. The midfield ‘regista’ can control the tempo of the game from the middle of the park and disrupt the oppositions flow with tough tackles.

His physical attributes are a huge bonus since the Premier League is known to be a rough ground. However questions over his lack of experience in European football can be asked, but it is a gamble Manchester United should take, considering the fact that other options won’t be coming in cheap.

Aliou Dieng game by numbers in the first leg vs Esperance Tunis

  • 90 mins played
  • 1 assist
  • 89% pass accuracy
  • 100% dribble attempts
  • 5 interceptions
  • 100% tackles won
  • 1 big chance created
Dieng in action for Al Ahly

If Aliou Dieng can keep churning out performance like that, it would be a immense bargain for Manchester United as they can finally look to plug holes in their defensive acumen.

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