If you ask ESPN FC pundit Paul Mariner, they absolutely can.
Mateo Kovacic to Manchester United history
Manchester United had a chance to sign Mateo Kovacic when he was a 17-year-old playing for Dinamo Zagreb. At the time, United’s owners were reluctant to invest in youngsters, opting to chase titles rather than adding components to build a brighter future. The €10 million Dinamo Zagreb asked for Kovacic was seen as too much. He went on to join Inter for €15 million and became one of the best young players in Europe before Real Madrid came calling.
His development has stagnated in Spain, mostly because of an overcrowded Real Madrid midfield. His frustrations have grown to the point where he has been contemplating a move away from Santiago Bernabeu.
“I would like to play more at Real Madrid because I love football and I love being on the pitch,”
“I want an opportunity to be a regular starter. I’m not happy when I don’t play.”
The statement activated Europe’s elite, with Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United all craving a slice of the Mateo Kovacic shaped pie.
ESPN FC commentator Paul Mariner believes this is an opportunity for Manchester United to fix their past mistake.
“I do like [Kovacic] a lot,”
“…there’s no doubt at 24 years of age he’s a future talent.”
“I think if they’re gonna make a move, now’s the time to go and get him. So I’m gonna say: ‘Yeah, go and get him boys.'”
Kovacic has an incredible amount of experience for a 24-year-old. This summer’s World Cup final run with Croatia just adds to a long list of achievements over the past few years. He’s yet to reach his peak, so if Manchester United want to take the bull by the horn, the time to act is now.
Paul Pogba needs to step up and Mateo Kovacic might just force him to so
If he were to come to United, Mateo Kovacic would join a midfield which already includes Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba, Marouane Fellaini, Ander Herrera and newly-acquired Fred.
Paul Pogba is now a World Cup winner and Jose Mourinho expects him to step up his game for the club in the way he did for his country.
“I don’t think it’s about us getting the best out of him,”
“It’s about him giving the best he has to give.”
“I think the World Cup is the perfect habitat for a player like him to give [their] best. Why? Because it’s closed for a month, where he can only think about football. Where he’s with his team on the training camp, completely isolated from the external world, where they focus just on football, where the dimensions of the game can only motivate.”
Consistency is something Pogba has struggled with since coming over to Manchester. This is what club legend Paul Scholes had to say about the extravagant French midfielder.
“You look at his game – he can be brilliant one week and not so good the next week.”
“He seems to be a player you get a performance out of him one in every three or four games. If you’re going to win leagues, it’s not enough.”
“He was part of a set structure at Juventus. He knew every week what position he was going to play, who he was going to play with.”
“I don’t think that helps him at United because I’ll be amazed if the same team has been named twice in a row and the same formation, there doesn’t seem to be a set way of where it’s going and that could possibly work against him.”
He also offered a small piece of advice.
“He needs to use his brain a little bit more to become a top footballer.”
Bringing Mateo Kovacic to provide competition for Paul Pogba could do the trick. Then, he would be forced to play at a high standard every game in order to keep his place in the starting lineup.
