Manchester United have earmarked West Ham United left-back El Hadji Malick Diouf as the ‘ideal profile’ to reinforce their defence in the summer, as per Football Insider.
After a slow start to life in England following his move from Slavia Prague in the summer, the 21-year-old has cemented his place in the Hammers’ first team and has been one of the shining lights in their relegation-battling season.
While his trademark crosses, which have produced five assists and created 24 chances for his teammates this season, have caught the eye, his resolute defensive displays have been crucial to reviving Nuno Espirito Santo’s side as they no longer look as vulnerable as they were at the start of the season, even though results haven’t been great.
Diouf has also made a sky-high 191 defensive contributions for the East Londoners, including 108 recoveries and 40 tackles, and has won 122 of his contested duels at over 50% success, according to FOTMOB stats.
It’s no surprise he has now been on the radar of several top clubs, with Football Insider reporting that Man Utd have identified Diouf as the ‘ideal profile’ to reinforce their backline next season.
The report adds that the Red Devils have made signing a dynamic and athletic left-back their top priority in the summer to compete with Luke Shaw, and believe the Senegalese ‘ticks a lot of boxes’ due to his qualities in attack.
‘Ideal profile’
However, having only joined in the summer, a deal won’t be easy, especially with Football Insider, in an updated report, stating that West Ham will demand a ‘big fee’ to sell Diouf to United.
Tyrell Malacia, Patrick Dorgu, and Luke Shaw are currently the recognised left-back options in the squad, although natural right-backs Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui have also been deployed there on several occasions.
Michael Carrick has largely favoured Shaw as the first-choice option, while Dorgu has frequently been utilised in a more advanced role.
With the Dane currently sidelined through injury, the expectation is that he will continue to operate higher up the field once he returns.
Hence, a move for a defensively solid and equally…
..
