It’s expected that Manchester United will be in the market for at least one new forward this summer. They’ll be out to replace Edinson Cavani when his contract expires, although they’re also going to be looking for a long term replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo who is expected to leave next year at the conclusion of his own current deal.
Beyond these two, Marcus Rashford has endured a season to forget at Old Trafford this year, therein casting doubt over his long term United future too.
With United’s recruitment team already sure to be working on a list of potential targets, it'd be hard for them to ignore the performances of Giovanni Simeone in Serie A this season. Coming into the campaign, Simeone was better known for being the son of Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone than his own footballing performances.
The 26-year-old’s career had stalled somewhat and he was allowed to leave Cagliari on loan in August after an unremarkable campaign in which he scored just six Serie A goals. With Hellas Verona though he’s surpassed that total by ten goals already. Strikingly, there are only eight players from across Europe’s top five leagues who can better his combined return of 16 non-penalty goals so far.
This remarkable turnaround in form can be attributed to the way in which he’s been used this season. At Cagliari he often formed part of a front two, tasked with scoring goals but also trying to create them.
His role with Verona is different though. They will often play a 3-4-2-1, with Simeone spearheading the attack. That means his main job is to finish moves, rather than help create them. A point captured by the fact that his touches in the penalty area have increased from 4.3 per 90 last season to 6.14 this season.
Should Man Utd try to sign Simeone? Have your say in the comments below.
The way in which he has scaled up his output in a better-suited side does raise intrigue about just how good he could be at a club like United who would provide much better players behind him. Beyond the goals, Simeone’s profile is a very likeable one. He’s not the quickest but does have a good turn of pace. Neither is he the tallest at 5ft11in, although a good leap means he’s an ever-present aerial threat and has managed three headed league goals this season.
He’s also an extremely hard worker who is willing to press and harry option defences without the ball. Remarkably he ranks second across the whole of Serie A in terms of making the highest number of defensive pressures inside the attacking third this season (231).
From a United perspective, there’s clearly a lot to like about Simeone. He might not be a blockbuster name, certainly in comparison to his father, but his form this season suggests he can be a striker who thrives in the right environment. The 26-year-old wouldn’t cost a substantial amount, meaning he’d represent a low-risk gamble for United that could potentially pay dividends in the long run.
