3 reasons why Manchester United should sign Ivan Perisic

The World Cup has drawn to a close and dear oh dear, what a ride it has been! In a World Cup where the underdogs and the dark horses stole the show, it was ultimately the pre-tournament finalists who bagged the cup.

Croatia will be heartbroken after within touching distance of the World Cup trophy. They battled their way through to the finals and was ready to sweat it out as long as it took to eke out a result. They have some champion players in their squad with Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic and Ivan Perisic being the most prominent.

Ivan Perisic had garnered United's interest last summer but talks between the clubs broke down as they differed in their respective valuations of the winger. However, Ivan Perisic has now used the biggest stage of them all to showcase his wealth of talent. And he's got Manchester United drooling again.

On that note, let's take a look at 3 reasons why Manchester United should go on and sign Ivan Perisic:

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#3 Ivan Perisic can sort United's right wing problem

Lingard and Mata have both been used on the right wing

Ever since Antonio Valencia started to be deployed at right back, Manchester United have struggled to find a right winger. Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford have all been intermittently used on the right wing to not much effect.

While Perisic is primarily a left winger, his two-footedness will afford Mourinho the chance to use him on the right wing. Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Alexis Sanchez are already competing for the left wing spot and therefore, Perisic will find it easy to nail down a spot in the starting XI without much of a hassle.

Crossing has been a major issue for United in the recent past as their wingers have a proclivity for cutting in from the wings and going for goal themselves. This will change with the arrival of Perisic who whips enough crosses in to feed at least 5 teams all by himself. United were also primarily interested in him due to this.

In the 2016-17 season, Ivan Perisic provided 197 crosses from open play. 197! My word.

#2 Jose Mourinho kind of player

Perisic does not stop running

By now, we're all familiar with the criticism meted out against Anthony Martial. He simply doesn't track back enough. Martial is not too keen on carrying out his defensive duties. Though he puts in a shift every once in a while, it comes few and far in between.

Ivan Perisic, meanwhile, is all about industry. He is pretty formidable in aerial duels as well, winning an average of 1.8 aerial duels per game in the Serie-A last season and 1.7 in the World Cup.

Perisic is also a threat on the counter thanks to his speed and vision. Hence, Perisic comes across as an ideal Mourinho player. This is further underpinned by Perisic's never say die attitude which sees him never ever giving up on a football field.

#1 Enables flexibility up top and is a consistent performer

Perisic scored in both the semifinal and the final for Croatia

Perisic is currently at the peak of his powers. He is expected to have at least 3 more really good seasons in him. For a winger, Perisic has the unique ability to split open defences with his passing. In the 2016-17 season, Perisic scored 11 goals and set up a further 8 goals.

In the 2017-18 season, he scored 11 and assisted 9. He scored 3 crucial goals for Croatia in the World Cup and also assisted Mandzukic for a goal against England in extra-time- one which ultimately took the Croats to the final.

Perisic has also proved that he can start as a no.10 or even as a second striker. He even played in central midfield for Inter this past season. What this means is that if during the season, Mourinho feels the need to alter the shape of his team or try a little something that's new, he can afford to do that with Perisic in his team as he can be deployed in various positions in the final third to similar returns.