Manchester United set to swoop again for Monaco star Fabinho… but is he worth the money?
A key cog in the Ligue 1 giants' title-winning success in 2016-17, it is expected the midfielder will finally leave this winter
A NUMBER of top European clubs kept a close eye on Brazilian midfielder Fabinho last season and it was widely expected he would leave Monaco in the summer.
Yet, despite being a Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United transfer target, he remained at the Stade Louis II, unlike many of his team-mates from that surprisingly successful side.
But as January approaches, we asked our friends at Football Whispers to take a look at whether the Red Devils should rekindle their interest in the 24-year-old.
There’s no doubt that back in the summer any club signing Fabinho would have seen it as a real catch.
He was a key part of Monaco’s stunning success last season.
Les Monegasques unexpectedly won Ligue 1 and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League by playing scintillating attacking football, which proved too much for Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund.
After being converted from a right-back, Fabinho has shone. He was directly involved in 14 goals in all competitions in 2016/17, scoring ten goals and adding a further four assists.
But with the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Benjamin Mendy all leaving the Stade Louis II, it was a surprise Fabinho stayed.
And back in September, the former Real Madrid loanee admitted he thought he was on his way out the Stade Louis II.
“During the window it was difficult because I was not sure if I would be staying,” Fabinho told Nice Matin.
“I was closer to leaving than staying. Playing in that context was not good. My head was elsewhere.
“Unconsciously, I was not giving my maximum. I was not trying to give a bad image, I could never do that. I was frustrated at the end of the window but I have turned the page.”
Fabinho says he has since settled, but just as Monaco have failed to replicate their form of last season, the midfielder has also struggled.
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A big part of that could be down to the departure of Bakayoko. Football can largely be about partnerships and without the Frenchman, who’s now at Chelsea, Fabinho hasn’t reached the heights of last season.
The same can be said about Bakayoko, too, who has put in a number of under-par performances since arriving at Stamford Bridge.
The Brazilian is still undoubtedly a good player, he’s got three Ligue 1 goals already and has doubled his assist total in the league compared to last season, with two.
He also makes more tackles per 90 minutes (3.7) than any other Monaco player and is completing more successful dribbles per 90 than he did last season too (1.47 to 1.11).
But despite that, it feels like something is missing and that’s why it would be a real surprise if Jose Mourinho and Manchester United reignite their interest when the transfer window opens in January.
Despite trailing city rivals Manchester City by 11 points, the Red Devils’ midfield partnership of Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic has been a real positive this season.
The former Chelsea man was named man of the match by United fans for his performance against West Brom at the weekend, while the Frenchman is the first name on the team sheet at Old Trafford.
“He’s (Pogba’s) a very important player for us, he always brings some extra quality to our team,” Matic told Sky Sports.
“So of course we miss him, but we also have some very important players to substitute him.
“Obviously when he comes back, for sure we are going to be stronger because as you know he has a lot of quality and he is very important to the club.”
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So there is no real role for Fabinho in Mourinho’s United.
More often than not this season, they have lined up with two central midfielders, and there is no doubt the established partnership is Pogba and Matic.
Mourinho has no reason to disrupt that and it is unlikely Fabinho would want to come and play a back-up role.
If anything, by not playing as well without former team-mate Bakayoko, Fabinho this season has shown the importance of decent partnerships on the football pitch, and United already have that in midfield.