Emre Can to Man Utd? Solskjaer linked with deal to capitalise on ex-Liverpool midfielder’s ‘fury’
Manchester United are weighing up a January move for ex-Liverpool midfielder Emre Can, according to reports.
The 25-year-old German international left Anfield to join Juventus on a free transfer in June 2018 but despite some initial success in Turin, has found himself struggling for first-team football recently.
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Can played 37 times across all competitions last season under Massimiliano Allegri but has featured just three times under Maurizio Sarri in 2019/20 and, to his fury, finds himself left out of Juve’s Champions League squad.
“The fact that I am not in the Champions League squad is extremely shocking for me, mainly because I was promised something different last week,” Can said in September.
“I had talks with other clubs [in the summer] and one of the conditions for me to stay was to be part of the Champions League squad. Then they phoned me and told me, in a conversation that didn’t even last a minute, that I was not on the list and they didn’t give an explanation.
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“That makes me angry and furious, they haven’t been honest with me. If I knew about it earlier, I would not have stayed at Juventus.”
Although he’s still being called up for the German national team, things have only got worse for Can at club level but the 25-year-old believes his international form gives him a chance at getting back into the Juventus side.
“I’m not happy [at Juve] right now. I’m not playing much at the moment,” he said recently. “I played a lot last season, especially in important matches, for Juventus, and I also played well.
“I haven’t had a chance this season but now I think that, when I return to the club, I’ll have a shot at playing again. I’m definitely grateful to Joachim Low because I hadn’t played much and he still called me up. That’s why I was simply happy to have played again.”
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Can may be holding out hope but looking at the full list Juventus midfielders must make the former Leverkusen man seriously question his place at the club: Miralem Pjanic, Blaise Matuidi, Aaron Ramsey, Adrien Rabiot, Rodrigo Bentancur and Sami Khedira are a tough pack to break down.
There’s no doubting Can would stand a much better chance of receiving regular minutes if he were to pitch up at Old Trafford. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer reportedly missed out on Sean Longstaff over the summer, leaving him with Paul Pogba, Scott McTominay, Nemanja Matic, Fred and Andreas Pereira as his only options in the No.6 and No.8 positions.
McTominay has proven himself this season, but doubt remains over Pogba’s future after he was recently pictured with Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane, while the likes of Fred and Matic continue to underwhelm.
United have regressed this season and sit 12th in the Premier League ahead of their clash with Liverpool at the weekend.
Ander Herrera was allowed to leave over the summer with no replacement coming in – something which didn’t go down well with the Man Utd fanbase – and speaking to Sky Sports, Solskjaer admitted he will look to the January transfer window to bring in some players.
“January is a difficult window, anyway,” he said. “But if there are players available and at the right price, I’m sure we will spend.
“There might be some experienced players who can come in and help the younger players – that might be worth the money.”
Given his previous with United’s biggest rivals, signing Can would certainly be a controversial move.
However, the Red Devils would be getting a multi-faceted midfielder, well capable of breaking up play, picking a pass or driving forward with the ball himself in equal measure, while his versatility and capability in more defensive positions would make him an extremely value squad member.
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