Alvaro Morata PHOTO: AFP
A lot of names have been touted in the last couple of days to be the new face of Manchester United's attack since the release of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. If recent reports are to be believed, Spanish striker Alvaro Morata will be the man leading the Old Trafford outfit from the front come next season. It appears that in choosing the Spaniard, Jose Mourinho would be going with a player he knows well and whose abilities he completely believes. Today, I give you six sterling attributes the twenty-four-year-old will add to the English club.
1 Morata is not afraid to play for the biggest teams in the world. His spells with Juventus and Real Madrid have proven him to be an effective goal scorer at the highest level. He’s shown to be the go-to man for big occasions as he scored Juve's only goal in their 1-3 UCL Final loss to Barcelona in 2015 and also scored an extra-time Coppa Italia winner against Milan in his final game for the Italian club.
2 The young lad has a winner’s mindset, a trait that the United hierarchy will love to see in their leading man. At the age of twenty-four Morata has already won two UCL titles and four league titles amongst others. He’ll be coming to win more titles for Man Utd.
3. He’s 6’2”, very physical and deceptively fast! Morata is a very dynamic striker and will offer different options to his new club. His 6’2” frame means he can produce the physicality needed in the EPL to fend off defenders and hold up play. Being tricky-fast means he can exploit space on the counter-attack and run in behind defenses. His great first-touch skill can take on defenders and can bring others into play by providing assists.
4. Morata is a great striker. In Madrid, with less playing time, he scored more goals than Frenchman Karim Benzema - the team's main striker. He was only outscored in the team by Cristiano Ronaldo. The Spaniard averaged 1 goal every 89 minutes, scored 14 goals in 18 starts in all competitions and added 7 as a substitute. He also chipped in 5 assists.
5. Age advantage. Potential is part of the prize Manchester United will pay for. Silverware, pedigree, big-game experience at big clubs, but never has he been a main striker for these clubs. In fact, he has never played more than 43 per cent of the total minutes possible in a top-flight campaign. Now, Morata is at the right age to take up this responsibility and with Jose Mourinho as his coach, the man who gave him his debut as a teenager, Manchester United fans should expect a lot of fruitful years ahead.
6. Familiar manager and a Spanish-speaking contingent. Morata will settle very quickly with his ‘best coach in the world’ who’s Portuguese, and a contingent that feels like home. The striker will get down into the flow of how thigs work at United very quickly and well.
The acquisition of Alvaro Morata will no doubt soften the blow of losing Ibrahimovic and if Manchester United decides to go after Torino's attacker - Andrea Belotti - as rumours say, Man Utd fans should forget about the low goal conversion rate that undid the club last season. It would seem that Jose Mourinho wants to challenge fully and on all fronts, next season. Swedish defender, Victor Lindelof of Benfica, is also expected to join the Red Devils anytime soon.
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