It's been a rough Premier League season for Manchester United this year, with every small semblance of recovery quickly extinguished by another disappointing defeat or draw.
Erik ten Hag hasn't been able to build upon his impressive first season, and following the shocking result against Crystal Palace on Monday night, it feels like just a matter of time before he is handed his P45.
That said, for all of his mistakes in the dugout, he has been let down by a number of his players, especially at Selhurst Park, where the likes of Andre Onana, Casemiro, and Christian Eriksen put in hall-of-shame performances, although based on recent reports, the club might already have an upgrade lined up for the latter, and he's been compared to a young Paul Pogba in the past.
Manchester United transfer news
According to a report from journalist Graeme Bailey earlier this week, Manchester United sent a team of scouts to watch OGC Nice's Ligue 1 clash with Strasbourg over the weekend to keep an eye on midfield ace Kephren Thuram, who they were reported to be interested in last month.
The report has claimed that Nice are 'gearing up to lose at least one big name this summer', and while Chelsea were also said to have scouts in attendance on the weekend, INEOS' links to the French side can only bode well for future negotiations.
No potential price has been reliably reported in recent weeks, but when Premier League rivals Liverpool were said to be interested in the Frenchman last year, Italian publication Tutto Juve (via Football365) claimed that it would cost around £45m to secure his services.
It certainly won't be a cheap deal to complete, but nor is it likely to be unreasonably expensive in the current market. Moreover, with the comparisons to a "young Pogba" and the cratering form of Eriksen this year, it seems like a deal United can't afford to miss out on.
How Thuram compares to Eriksen
The comparison to United's previous French midfielder may seem outrageous at first, but it comes from respected data analyst Ben Mattinson, and there is some merit in it.
He hasn't claimed that the 23-year-old talent is as good as the World Cup winner in his pomp – few players are – but that he has undeniable similarities to a younger version of the divisive midfielder.
For example, Mattinson has argued that while the Nice ace has slightly less flair than his older compatriot, he shares his attacking ability while also possessing a defensive astuteness that could see him play as a defensive midfielder, as some believed Pogba would be in his younger days.
Aside from his similarities to past stars, United should be going all out to sign Thuram because he would represent a massive upgrade on Eriksen in every department, as shown when comparing the pair's underlying numbers.
For example, while the Dane produces slightly more progressive passes per 90 than his potential competition does, he comes out second best in every metric relevant to a central midfielder and by quite some way in a few, such as progressive carries, shots, tackles, successful take-ons and aerial duels won.
Non-Penalty Goals + Assists
0.28
0.24
Progressive Carries
3.07
1.53
Progressive Passes
4.49
5.40
Progressive Passes Received
2.63
1.77
Shots
1.66
1.04
Shots on Target
0.54
0.32
Passing Accuracy
85.9%
80.8%
Shot-Creating Actions
3.61
3.46
Goal-Creating Actions
0.19
0.16
Tackles
1.90
1.37
Tackles Won
1.32
1.05
Interceptions
0.83
0.32
Clearances
1.51
0.97
Successful Take-Ons
1.61
0.24
Aerial Duels Won
0.73
0.08
Moreover, at 32 years old, it seems doubtful that the former Tottenham ace will improve over the summer, whereas at just 23, the Frenchman still has another two years until he's likely to hit his peak, per The Athletic.
Ultimately, while Eriksen has been a brilliant player for much of his career and even put in a good shift for the Red Devils last season, his decline has been steep and with Thuram seemingly attainable this summer, United should do all they can to bring him in as an upgrade.
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