Manchester United’s 2023/24 campaign was certainly frustrating on every single front, with an injury crisis causing mass disruption.
Although the defence was frequently highlighted as a vulnerable department, the attack also struggled to perform.
Other than Bruno Fernandes, a lack of creativity was incredibly obvious, with the Red Devils ending the campaign with a goal difference of -1.
With that in mind, it’s no surprise that Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS want to bolster the attack this summer, with one particular target potentially becoming their answer to Phil Foden.
Man Utd’s search for their own Foden
As per a report from Football Insider, Man United are interested in signing Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze this summer.
It’s mentioned that United are “very much in the race” to secure Eze’s signature, as he “ticks a lot of boxes” for INEOS.
However, they won’t be alone in attempting to sign the Crystal Palace attacking midfielder, with Tottenham Hotspur also keen.
If either club is to secure Eze’s services, then they must pay his £60m release clause, which isn’t completely extortionate considering his quality.
How Eze compares to Phil Foden
It’s fair to say that Foden isn’t just an insanely talented footballer; he’s a match-winner who played a huge role in Manchester City winning the Premier League.
City’s number 47 found confidence in front of goal this season, providing nine assists and scoring 19 goals across 33 Premier League starts, with zero of them coming from the spot.
However, his performances and outstanding output didn’t go unnoticed, with the England international picking up the Premier League Player of the Season award.
This is the exact type of player that United lacked last season, but the potential signing of Eze can relieve the pressure of just Fernandes next campaign.
Goals
0.48
0.60
Assists
0.18
0.25
xG
0.40
0.32
Shots
3.60
3.31
Shot-creating actions
4.82
4.54
Successful take-ons
3.03
1.48
As you can see, Eze has plenty of similarities to Foden, with FBref even classifying them as 'similar players' based on their statistics from last season.
Firstly, the two England stars' biggest attributes are that they can serve as a direct threat as well as create for those around them, as shown by their goals and assists.
They’re also incredibly composed and will often net important goals, with their fantastic finishing making them reliable in front of goal, hence their overperformance of xG.
Eze and Foden can also both genuinely create a moment of magic out of absolutely nothing, whether that be from a long-range strike or via clever combinations in tight areas in and around the box.
Apart from the United captain, the entire United attack is tailored towards a counterattacking approach, which is why they suffer when facing a side that deploys a low block.
This is exactly where Eze could become a vital player for the Red Devils if he were to join, due to his ability to glide past players with his mesmerising dribbling and ability to carry the ball with speed and power, making him a “superstar,” as dubbed by football analyst Ben Mattinson.
Overall, Eze is simply an unbelievable talent who just needs a platform to prove that he belongs among the very best in the Premier League, and to secure a Foden-esque talent for £60m certainly seems like a reasonable deal.
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