Six things you might not know about Manchester United target Christopher Nkunku
- Sean Fisher
- 4 May 2022
Ralf Rangnick wants United to sign Nkunku but they face competition from Bayern Munich, among others. Here are six facts about the RB Leipzig midfielder that may have escaped the scouting report.
Manchester United need another rebuild and interim boss Ralf Rangnick has made no secret of his admiration for midfielder Christopher Nkunku, highlighting him as a summer target.
The Red Devils are not alone in their interest, however, with Arsenal also keen to lure him to the Premier League, while Bayern Munich are reported to be monitoring the 24-year-old Frenchman.
Planet Sport takes a look at six things you may not know about the 24-year-old Frenchman.
'Liberated' by Rangnick
After five years of progression in the club's youth set-up, Nkunku was handed his debut for the club in December 2015, replacing Lucas Moura in a 2-0 Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk.
As PSG made more and more big-money signings, youth players became overlooked. With his contract running down, Nkunku began to look elsewhere.
After negotiations with Ralf Rangnick, who was the director of RB Leipzig at the time, Nkunku became the latest young talent to make a move to the Bundesliga.
There, Nkunku has seen much more game time and has flourished into the player that has now become a target for many top European clubs.
The Frenchman managed an astonishing 13 assists in his debut season - a tally only topped by Emil Forsberg's debut Bundesliga campaign.
Following his move, Nkunku said: "I feel I am blossoming and liberated. Changing clubs was not such a bad idea. Now I can say that it is better to leave your comfort zone to grow taller."
Close to joining the Gunners
The Gunners instead went and signed Denis Suarez on loan instead. Remember him? Me neither.
To rub further salt in the wounds, having let Nkunku slip through their fingers, Arsenal spent £72million on Nicolas Pepe in the same window.
Pressing with pace
One major problem Rangnick has faced during his time at Old Trafford, is that the current squad can't seem to grasp his playing style.
Whether it's due to a lack of fitness, sharpness or simply the players not wanting to oblige, who knows? What is certain is that despite reverting to an advisor role in the summer, the German is keen for players who share his work ethic to join the Erik ten Hag revolution.
According to Opta's data from the 2020/21 season, Nkunku would become United's second fastest player, with only Marcus Rashford's 36.26km/h clocking faster.
The Frenchman's 856 sprints this season places him as the fifth most active player in the Bundesliga.
Pulling the strings
Speaking of music, Nkunku can play the guitar... or maybe he can't - I'll leave it up to you to guess after this cryptic caption.
But assuming he can, Nkunku's talent will be welcomed at Old Trafford. Let's just hope United's media team don't have him playing an instrument during his announcement video, that didn't turn out too well last time.
Sharing a birthplace with Paul Pogba
Lagny-Sur-Marne is a suburb in eastern Paris, 26km from the city centre.
Pogba has previously spoken of his humble upbringing in Paris, saying: "I grew up - how do you say this? - in the hood. We were sleeping three, four, five people in one bed. But it was the best time, because we were all together, so it was very good."
In fact, Nkunku's arrival could be as a replacement for Pogba. United fans will just hope he turns out to be more consistent than their current £89million man.
Overlooked by Thomas Tuchel
While we've already mentioned Nkunku's previous stint under Unai Emery, the 24-year-old midfielder has also played under Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel.
Nkunku was part of PSG's first team during Tuchel's stewardship in the 2018/19 season. But, one of the first things the German coach did upon his arrival was bring in midfield reinforcements.
Manchester United's Ander Herrera and Everton's Idrissa Gueye both joined Tuchel's side in the summer, forcing Nkunku further and further down the pecking order.
Of course, it's hard to blame Tuchel for wanting to offload Nkunku at the time - the Frenchman scored just eight goals in his 55 appearances in Paris.
But three years on, it may well be a decision the German manager looks back on with regret.
