Manchester United will face Wolverhampton Wanderers in their opening Premier League fixture on Monday evening and Erik ten Hag will be hoping to get off to a perfect start.
Summer signings Andre Onana and Mason Mount will likely be in the starting XI and with a few weeks left of the transfer window, the Dutchman could well make another couple of signings.
A defender looks to be his main focus, and he is a keen admirer of Bayer Leverkusen right-back Jeremie Frimpong. Could United make a move for the 22-year-old?
Are Manchester United interested in Jeremie Frimpong?
According to The Manchester Evening News, United are looking to target players who will have just a year left on their contracts next summer.
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One player that fits in this bracket is Frimpong, who will have just a year left on his current contract next year and Ten Hag admires the youngster.
This indicates that the Red Devils will perhaps wait until 2024 to make a move for the youngster, yet it wouldn’t be a surprise if he launched a bid to bring the Bundesliga defender to Manchester this summer in order to bolster his options at the back – having been linked with a £40m move for the ex-Celtic man earlier in the window.
How good is Jeremie Frimpong?
Ten Hag currently has Diogo Dalot and Aaron Wan-Bissaka as his options on the right side of defence, however, the Englishman has entered the final year of his current deal and there is no guarantee that he will be offered an extension – despite current claims that a fresh contract could be in the works.
He started just 16 Premier League matches last term under Ten Hag, initially falling out of favour before getting a solid run in the team before the end of the season.
Wan-Bissaka did rank second in the United squad for tackles per game (2.2) and fifth for interceptions per game (1.2), showing that he did impress defensively when called upon, yet with just one goal contribution across 34 games, it’s clear that Frimpong would be an upgrade in an attacking sense.
Indeed, the Dutchman scored nine times and registered 11 assists across 48 games for Leverkusen last season as he demonstrated just how effective he was going forward from defence.
The 5 foot 7 gem also displayed his superiority across a wide range of attacking metrics last season, registering more shots per 90 (1.28 to 0.53), shot-creating actions per 90 (3.14 to two), completing a higher percentage of successful take-ons (48.2% to 46.8%) and taking more touches in the attacking penalty area (171 to 52) than the United defender.
The former Manchester City asset even ranks in the top 1% across Europe’s big five leagues for progressive carries, successful take-ons and touches in the attacking penalty area, showing just how impressive he has been over the previous 12 months.
In comparison, Wan-Bissaka only ranks in the top 13% for touches in the opposition box and outside the top 20% for both progressive carries and successful take-ons, clearly indicating that Frimpong is a much better option going forwards and could certainly be a better fit into Ten Hag’s tactical system.
Neil Lennon waxed lyrical about the youngster following the 2019 Scottish League Cup final, saying: “He set a real standard for the rest of the team, him and Kristoffer Ajer. I thought Ajer was brilliant, and then obviously Fraser as well, but Frimpong – he’s a top, top player and you can see his mentality as well. He doesn’t seem to fear anything.”
High praise indeed, especially considering he was just 18 years old at the time and his move to Germany has certainly turned him into one of the finest attacking full backs on the continent. Ten Hag should be looking to sign him as soon as possible.