3 Reasons Why Manchester United Must Consider Signing Rakitic In January

#3. Rakitić playing traits

Rakitić celebrates his stunning goal vs Argentina at the 2018 World Cup

With Rakitić, United would be signing a truly world-class player who has the experience of playing in the biggest competitions with the top stars of the game. The experience that he brings to the table is exactly what a young team like United needs. The club can easily extract 2-3 years from him at the top level.

On the tactical side of things, United would be signing an expert box-to-box midfielder with immense passing abilities. His strongest trait is his versatility that makes him an ideal player to give United some stability in defense as well as occasional attacking contributions. His other qualities are stamina, spatial awareness, and impressive work rate (ideal for Solkjær’s team). He can provide a good defensive contribution and can at times make a killer through ball. Rakitić’s long-range efforts and his set-piece specialty also make him a great prospect for United.

He thus could either play as part of the double pivot in Solkjær’s 4-2-3-1 system or in the midfield three in a 4-3-3 system. His defensive contribution could also help United extract more out of Pogba, whose linkup with Martial, Rashford and James can help forge a potent attacking four. Wherever he plays, he would at least be a much-needed upgrade over either of Perreira and Mata.

Rakitic could prove to be the calming figure in the middle of the park who can control games for United. As seen in the past seasons, he also provides cover for the marauding fullbacks as an insurance against the counters.

He has won the Champions League, LaLiga, and has also been a world cup finalist with Croatia. Such an experienced player is exactly what a young team like United currently needs. He could be an extremely valuable asset in the dressing room.

Manchester United is a young sqaud and can use Rakitić's experience

Conclusion

With all that being said, it must be confessed that everything is not hunky-dory. Rakitić’s relative lack of pace could prove problematic for a pacy team like United and there could be looking at another Matić -like situation. Moreover, in Rakitić, United could be signing another box-to-box midfielder and having a similar player in Pogba could prove to negatively affect the balance of the team. One must also look at United’s past struggles with big-name players. None of Di Maria, Falcao, Schweinsteiger, Depay, Sanchez, and even Lukaku inspire any confidence among the United fans. United have already burnt their fingers in trying to chase big-name players. So, the mood would be a little hesitant in going after Rakitić too.

But in the end, the pros clearly outweigh the cons. Rakitic seems like a risk worth taking and considering his current Barcelona situation, it won’t be too much of a financial outlay either.

What do you think about it? Share your views in the comments box below. Should United be looking at signing Rakitić in January?