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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…
The Daily Star is reporting that Manchester United are interested in Tottenham’s Lucas Moura.
What’s the story?
The 27-year-old only signed a new five-year deal in August, but Lucas is said to be unsettled as he continues to struggle to receive regular playing time.
As such, he is believed to be high up on United’s list of transfer targets over the next 12 months, and there is a suggestion that the Red Devils could make a move for the Brazil international as early as January.
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Deserves more action
There is plenty of talent in Spurs’ squad going forward. Harry Kane is a phenomenal goalscorer, having scored 169 goals in 260 games for the north London outfit, whilst the likes of Christian Eriksen and Heung-Min Son provide him with invaluable support.
Lucas deserves his fair share of credit too however. In the second leg of the Champions League semi-final last year against Ajax, the Lilywhites were 2-0 down in the match, 3-0 down on aggregate and seemingly on their way out of the competition without so much as a whimper. However, the former PSG man had other plans, scoring a second-half hat-trick to save his side and keep their hopes of silverware alive.
Yet, despite those heroics, he is unable to find a regular spot in Mauricio Pochettino’s starting XI. In the final against Liverpool, Lucas had to make do with a place on the bench, while he has only started two of the first five Premier League matches this term.
It is not as if that display in Amsterdam was a one-off. In 45 starts for the club, he has 18 goals and seven assists, which is not bad for a player often utilised from the bench. The importance of those strikes is also worth noting. Along with that trio previously mentioned, he netted a vital equaliser against Barcelona in Europe last term, was on hand to level the score against Manchester City this season and also bagged at Old Trafford in a 3-0 win last year.
The forward deserves to be playing more regular football, it’s that simple. He is wasted as a bit-part player at Tottenham, and United could be in a better position to offer frequent action. At Old Trafford, the competition for attacking places is not as strong, with just Marcus Rashford, Dan James and Anthony Martial as the realistic attacking options on the flanks and up top. Lucas, therefore, would be a welcome addition to the squad, and he would finally be able to show his true worth week-in, week-out.