Ivan Perisic: Why Manchester United must sign the Inter Milan winger at any cost

As the transfer window starts to draw to a close, teams around Europe are beginning to make their final moves in bringing in new faces.
For Manchester United, they have had a very good transfer window. Acquiring Victor Lindelöf, Nemanja Matić and Romelu Lukaku will fill José Mourinho and the fans with great confidence going into a season where the pressure is firmly on.
Three signings in crucial positions has been a job well done by Ed Woodward, Manchester United’s executive vice-chairman, but they still need a fourth player who could play on the left-hand side.
While the Red Devils have Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford who usually play out on the left, they are not orthodox wingers.
Instead, they are centre forwards that have been used wide with some success. Their blistering pace and technical skill are of great use for United, but their downside is the predictability of their play and how they will, more often than not, cut inside and shoot à la Arjen Robben.

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Going forward, Manchester United need a more traditional winger – a player who consistently runs up and down the pitch and, most importantly, takes on their opposite man, runs to the byline and accurately crosses it for the target men in the middle.
The lack of width and creativity in the wide areas cost Manchester United points last season, with far too many draws. However, Mourinho will want to turn those singular points he was picking up at Old Trafford into the full three.
Antonio Valencia, who has reinvigorated himself at right back, offers a valuable service down the right flank and gets forward aplenty. The Ecuadorian has been one of United’s main outlets since turning into a right back and last year picked up the Players’ Player award.

Having a player who gives the Red Devils another option on the left, hugging the flank is crucially important. The worst thing Man United can do is to become a predictable attacking side where their opponents can figure them out before Christmas.
Inter Milan’s Ivan Perišić is a player that Mourinho is a massive fan of, and you can see why. The Croatian can provide a different dimension to United’s attacking display and pose a threat from out wide.
With the aerial prowess that Manchester United now boast, having an excellent crosser in the squad is essential. While Martial is capable of running to the byline, the Frenchman is more suited coming inside and posing a threat for the goalkeeper.
Perišić might be 28-years-old, but he is a player for the here and now. While Mourinho has one eye on the youth players – as shown last season – he also understands that he needs to challenge for the Premier League title as a minimum.

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The pressure will be on the Portuguese boss but it is not anything he has not handled before. The Croatian attack is a workhorse and would give his all under Mourinho in a similar way Zlatan Ibrahimović declares his passion for the manager.
Experience is vital in a long season where you are competing all competitions and bringing in Perišić will most certainly be an advantage to the Red Devils. Forget the price tag, this summer has rendered any economic deal useless.
It is about securing the players for your team – whether you spend £10m, £25m or £80m, it does not matter. What matters is having the right tools disposable to you at the right time.