Man Utd target Mateus Mane sows doubt to stun Arsenal defence and cause huge shock | OneFootball

Manchester United target Mateus Mane once again put up a good performance, as his main contribution to the game against Arsenal could have major ramifications in the title race.

Sky Sports showed a stat at the start of Arsenal against Wolves that no player has made more successful dribbles since 18-year-old Mane’s Premier League debut than the youngster.

He was unable to add to his tally of successful dribbles against a very competent Gunners defence, but Mane did make one lasting contribution which could have echoes in the title race.

With Wolves 2-1 down in stoppage time, having gone 2-0 down, Mane found himself free outside the box, with an opportunity to whip the ball in.

He did so deep into the box, onto the head of Gabriel Magalhaes, but the position was deemed threatening by goalkeeper David Raya, who came to claim the ball, and made a mess of it when coming together with Gabriel, leading to a spill which Wolves capitalised on, Tom Edozie shooting on goal, where Riccardo Calafiori couldn’t clear off the line.

It means Arsenal’s lead over Manchester City is just five points, leading to a potential shift in momentum towards the Premier League title.

It’s the sort of moment which isn’t picked up in the stats, but shows that 18-year-old Mane can cause major problems for defences even in the league’s bottom-placed team devoid of much more talent.

He made 16 accurate passes against Arsenal, and his contribution to the goal wasn’t one of them, but it was a definitively threatening delivery which had the Gunners panicking and unable to deal with it.

It is little surprise that, with less than 20 Premier League appearances to his name, the former Rochdale man is garnering interest from some of England’s biggest clubs.

Sources confirm Man Utd interest

Liverpool and Manchester United have been heavily linked with Mane of late, with suggestions that both clubs are planning to meet with him to sell him on their respective projects.

TEAMtalk can confirm that the Red Devils have taken a keen interest in the 18-year-old playmaker.

Sources close to the club told our insider Dean Jones that he is indeed an option for United.

Jones said: “Mateus Mane is being linked to United and I have had quite interesting reports on this one because people close to the club admit he is an interesting option and that his profile does make sense.

“He obviously has a sense of versatility for the attack and midfield, but he also has potential to grow into a star.

“When we consider what they want to do in the summer, he would be quite a good player to go for because he is the kind of progressive talent they want to invest in.

“We all know they are looking at signing well-established stars from within the Premier League, but they would like to start signing players like this too.

“The fact that he could provide cover in various positions across the side means the stories linking him to United for the summer are worth paying some attention to.”

Man Utd round-up: Chelsea star admired

Following TEAMtalk’s revelation that Manchester United are waiting in the wings to see what happens with Chelsea striker Liam Delap, it’s been stated their ‘admiration’ of the striker remains strong.

We have also been told that United could consider signing a more experienced striker to replace Joshua Zirkzee in the summer.

Meanwhile, the Red Devils are said to have decided they will not be offering Jadon Sancho the chance to stay at the club beyond the summer.