Following an extended season marked by setbacks and annoyance, Manchester United concluded the 2023–24 campaign victorious.
Playing with confidence and unity, Erik ten Hag’s team defeated Manchester City to win the FA Cup and guarantee their place in the Europa League for the following campaign.
This was not only a huge boost for the team, but it also improved Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s chances of signing his objectives because playing in Europe is now an added bonus.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at a long-term Man United target who could just become their own version of Phil Foden.
Man Utd’s search for a new attacker
TEAMtalk reports that Man Utd will want to recruit Michael Olise as one of their first acquisitions under Ratcliffe’s leadership.
The Red Devils are currently “leading the race for him,” having already had multiple conversations with the agent of the French forward. It has been said that discussions will go on for a few more weeks.
But Chelsea is also keen to use Olise as one of their main players in their rebuild, which would cause problems for United. However, suitors must pay the star’s £60 million release clause in order to entice him away from Crystal Palace, which could offer United the upper hand as the Blues may look for other options.hh
How Olise compares to Foden
Over the past few seasons in particular, Foden of Man City has genuinely blossomed into a world-class talent, turning into a true winner who has guided his team to consistent victory.
This season, the 47-year-old has been crucial, particularly in the top division, as he has helped City win the Premier League Player of the Season award and secure their fourth consecutive title. With 19 goals and 8 assists in 35 games, the England international’s contribution was well deserving of the accolade.
This is the exact type of player that Ratcliffe desperately wants to sign for the Red Devils, one that can help transform the club, and Olise could just be that exact individual.
| Foden vs Olise 23/24 Premier League Stats | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stats (per game) | Foden | Olise |
| Goals | 0.60 | 0.71 |
| Assists | 0.25 | 0.42 |
| Shots | 3.31 | 3.95 |
| Key passes | 2.30 | 2.54 |
| Shot-creating actions | 4.54 | 5.79 |
| Carries into final third | 2.49 | 3.53 |
| Via FBref | ||
This season, Olise and Foden had remarkably comparable stat lines in the league; in fact, the Eagle had superior results in some key categories.
Considering the former doesn’t play for the world’s top team, that is rather amazing. The two players are categorised as comparable by FBref, primarily because of their exceptional talent—both of them can score and create—and their plethora of technical skill.
They are also similar in that they both have magical left foot and are skilled at effectively using their weaker side, which makes them much more unpredictable to fight against.
But what the prior stats fail to show is that in just 14 starts, the “magic” Olise—as analyst Ben Mattinson dubbed him—has tallied ten goals and provided six assists, trailing only Bruno Fernandes by just two and leading Rasmus Hojlund by four.
It follows that the 22-year-old would undoubtedly have a significant impact on the team if he were to sign, much like the star player of United’s noisy neighbours, Foden.
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