Manchester United have been keeping a close eye on the 2022 World Cup with Denzel Dumfries, Enzo Fernandez and Cody Gakpo playing in Qatar.
Some say a club should never buy a player because of their performances at the World Cup, but Denzel Dumfries, Enzo Fernandez and Cody Gakpo have all previously been linked with a move to Old Trafford. Now that the World Cup is coming to an end and Man United need reinforcements in January, will their performance in Qatar affect MU's transfer views?
Dumfries is a strange case. In many ways, he resembles former Chelsea full-back Marcus Alonso in the way he rushes into the box and always finds himself in scoring positions. However, like Alonso, he has his problems. He is not technically overrated and his attacking habits mean he can be difficult on a team with four defenders.
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Dumfries had a standout performance at the World Cup against the United States, scoring 1 goal and providing 2 assists but in the Netherlands' other games he was underwhelming. So personally, he is a player United should stay away from. A good replacement would be Croatia's Josip Juranovic, who is both cheaper and more suitable as a substitute for Diogo Dalot.
Enzo Fernandez, on the other hand, is a player United are keen to sign. Erik ten Hag wants a midfielder who can control the ball and contribute to every ball, and the Benfica midfielder can provide that. He showed this in the Champions League with the Portuguese side and continued that form in the World Cup with Argentina. He scored 1 goal and 1 assist for the South American team and was one of the breakout stars of the tournament.
The only problem for MU is the price. Benfica is said to be only willing to listen to offers that meet his buy-out clause worth around £100m.
Finally there is Gakpo, a player many United fans would like to see in January to replace Cristiano Ronaldo . The Dutch striker scored three goals for the Netherlands at the World Cup after having brilliantly played for PSV.
However, what the World Cup shows is that Gakpo has difficulty playing as a forward and that is the position United need in the January transfer window, which could raise question marks over a move. concession. In fact, for the Reds' purposes, Memphis Depay might be a better player to target . He will be cheaper and actually more suitable for the role of number 9 than his 23-year-old teammate.
Overall, the World Cup shouldn't be an arena for MU to make decisions, but it will add some perspective on the players that Ten Hag decided to target in January.
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