Manchester United are getting ready for another transfer window. January is only ten days away and Jose Mourinho and the board are preparing for a month of action in the market.
On Friday, The Guardian revealed Manchester United are “preparing to offer initial £25m for Fulham teenager Ryan Sessegnon”. The outlet claims Jose Mourinho will be giving Luke Shaw permission to leave Manchester during January window.
Sessegnon is usually playing as a left-back, while this season Slavisa Jokanovic has used him as a winger as well. He was joint-top scorer during last summer’s U-19 European Championship with three goals and has been Fulham’s starting XI regular for some time now.
How Did Ryan Sessegnon Fare At Fulham?
Last season he made 26 appearances for the Cottagers as they reached Championship semi-final play-offs. He scored five goals and made three assists in the process, while this season he has netted four goals and created another two in every of the 22 possible starts for Jokanovic’s team.
Sessegnon was born in May 2000 and will turn 18 next spring. He has been touted as one of the prodigy players, making his professional debut in League Cup match at 16 years and 81 days in August 2016.
The youngster is a very attacking-minded left-back. He likes getting forward and making impact on team’s play in final third. Sessegnon’s speed and stamina make him energetic and persistent.
Where Can He Improve?
However, he still has plenty of space to improve. Sessegnon’s crossing has not been very good (only 10 percent of his crosses were completed). Defensively, he will also need to improve making interceptions, an area he has not shined yet. However, at just 17 years of age and playing in a more physical division, his numbers confirm the words of praise from his manager and Fulham fans.
Real Madrid and Tottenham have both been connected with Sessegnon. Whether Los Blancos and Spurs will actually try to get him is yet to be seen, but they were not paying attention to him for no reason.
Sessegnon is also good at getting past players in tight areas. He completed 1.23 dribbles per 90 minutes (both Championship seasons taken into calculation) which is a consistent output, especially for a player of his age.
What Would Manchester United Get?
Manchester United would get a very talented left-back. Sessegnon has shown he can fill in in every position on the left flank. The Reds have troubles at this position. Luke Shaw probably has no future at the club while Ashley Young has been very good, but is not a long-term solution.
Exactly that is what Sessegnon could be. He will not jump straight into the starting Xi if he joins Man United. However, he would have six months to settle in Manchester and try and make a bigger impact during next season.
By then, the club could be in position to give him more competition with some new names at the club. Yet, this is all hypothetical talk. Manchester United would be wise to invest in future and try not to repeat mistakes they made with Shaw. The former Southampton man had troubles with injuries of course, but the young players need to be given time.
Ryan Sessegnon seems like one worth taking that chance.
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