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Few clubs are linked with quite as many players as Manchester United, with Denis Zakaria being the latest they are said to be looking at.
Midfield has been an area of particular concern for United and with the loss of Ander Herrera and continuous uncertainty hanging over Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matić’s future, it is no secret that United‘s midfield badly needs reshaping.
According to reports in Germany, United are keen on signing Zakaria who primarily plays as a defensive midfielder for Borussia Monchengladbach, but how do the Swiss international’s stats in the Bundesliga so far this season compare to Liverpool’s Fabinho in the Premier League, the club ruling the roost in the English game right now.
Both Zakaria and Fabinho play a similar role for their respective clubs in the heart of midfield, and so tackles and interceptions are a key part of their game.
Zakaria has emerged as one of the best defensive midfielders in the Bundesliga. His ability to read the game and snuff out danger is quite impressive. He leads the way for interceptions, making 1.7 every 90 minutes compared to Fabinho’s 1.3.
However, Fabinho leads the pack in terms of tackles won per 90 mins. The Brazilian averaged an impressive 2.5 tackles, which is slightly superior to that of Zakaria who managed 2.4.tackles per 90 mins.
Both Borussia Monchengladbach and Liverpool are possession-orientated teams and like to build up their attacks from the back with short passes.
That certainly shows in their passing stats. Fabinho has a pass success percentage of 86.7 compared to Zakaria’s 85.4.
Zakaria and Fabinho have almost identical numbers in a number of metrics this season and there does not seem to be any clear winner on paper. However, the mention of Zakaria with Liverpool’s Fabinho highlights the standards he has set in the Bundesliga.
It is not just his defensive abilities; Zakaria’s ability to orchestrate attacks from deep and penetrate lines has drawn the praise of former Gladbach man Lothar Matthaus.
“I’m glad that Gladbach have found another pearl.At his age I was earning my first stripes for Borussia. He reminds me of Toni Kroos at that age."Matthaus has said of Zakaria.
However, his distribution needs to improve- he’s averaging just 35.1 accurate passes per 90 minutes this season compared to Fabinho’s 60.1.
“I love to win back possession and I also like carrying the ball and taking on opposition players, but I need to be more efficient, score and assist more goals and improve in the air,” Zakaria admitted
“I’ve proved myself to be a quick learner, though, and I’m in the best place to learn fast.” he further added.
Perhaps the most important thing to note regarding Zakaria is his age. At just 23, with the best years ahead of him, Zakaria could prove to be a shrewd acquisition by Solskjaer’s United.
United's need for a central midfielder to dominate games has been painfully obvious for years and Zakaria might just be the answer.
