Erik ten Hag has enjoyed a productive debut season in charge of Manchester United, winning the Carabao Cup, reaching the FA Cup final and securing a Champions League spot following their midweek victory.
There is still plenty of work to be done, especially in the transfer market, as the Old Trafford side will be facing tougher opposition in Europe’s premier competition, while the Dutchman will be looking to sustain a proper Premier League title challenge.
One area that needs vast improvement is their attacking department, with only Marcus Rashford scoring more than ten goals all season, suggesting a few new forwards is a must this summer.
One player who has been linked is Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby, with Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg tweeting: “Man Utd is monitoring his situation instead and confirmed. Next steps depend on the club‘s ownership.
“Bayer‘s price valuation between €70-80m. Contract until 2025. Key player for Alonso.”
An €80m (£69m) fee is extravagant; however, the Frenchman is considered statistically similar in style to Real Madrid starlet Vinicius Jr. and Ten Hag would surely love to have a player of his ability.
What is Moussa Diaby’s style of play?
The 23-year-old can operate on either wing or as a second striker, though it is on the right flank where he is most effective. The French gem likes to dribble and is a counter-attacking threat, while finishing and key passes are his main strengths, according to WhoScored.
This is similar to Vinicius Jr., who also loves to dribble and the Brazilian’s main strengths are finishing and playing key passes, suggesting the pair are alike when it comes to causing havoc for opposition defenders on the wings.
According to FBref, Vinicius Jr is the fourth-most comparable player to Diaby and considering how good the Madrid sensation has been over the previous year, it isn’t a bad comparison to make.
The Brazilian ranks in the top 1% across Europe’s big five leagues for progressive carries (6.86 per 90), successful take-ons (3.70 per 90) and touches in the opposition box (8.26 per 90), certainly proving that he is one of the finest on the continent.
Diaby isn’t quite at that level yet, but the signs are there that he could develop into a truly world-class star. The Frenchman ranks in the top 19% across the big five leagues for progressive carries (4.11 per 90), while he is within the top 38% for both successful take-ons (1.76 per 90) and touches in the attacking penalty area (4.45 per 90).
These are short of Vinicius Jr’s stats, yet due to their similar style of play, experience in a bigger league such as the English top flight could take Diaby closer to these incredible figures in due course.
He was dubbed a “demon” by journalist Alex Barker and if Ten Hag could take the winger to the next level, he could well have his very own Vinicius Jr. ready to cause defenders nightmares in the Premier League.