Would Hakim Ziyech be a good signing for Manchester United?

Manchester United have been linked with a move for Chelsea's Hakim Ziyech and we've taken a look into whether he'd be a good fit at Old Trafford.

It’s no secret that Manchester United have been looking for a right winger during this window and Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyech has now popped up on their radar. 

Having previously worked with Erik ten Hag at Ajax, he could be the solution to their right-sided problem. 

Ziyech enjoyed several seasons of success with ten Hag at Ajax as he won three trophies whilst in the Netherlands, including 18/19 Eredivisie title. 

The playmaker also played a crucial role in their run to the Champions League semi-finals in 18/19 as he chipped in with six goal contributions in Europe that season. 

 

His time at Chelsea 

After making his move over from Ajax in 2020, Ziyech has had somewhat of a stop-start career at Chelsea. 

During his first season with the club he made 15 Premier League starts and played 1180 minutes in total. 

The Moroccan playmaker ended his first season with seven goal contributions in the Premier League and Champions League with four goals and three assists. 

Throughout his second season with Chelsea, he had a similar amount of game time as he played 1317 minutes of Premier League football. 

He also managed to up his goal contributions tally to 10 last season as he seemed to be more direct in front of goal. 

His shots per game saw an increase from 1.5 to 2.3 in the space of a season and his dribbles per game increased from 0.8 to 1.2 

While the 29-year-old has come up with some moments of magic for Chelsea, he hasn’t quite been able to replicate the form he showcased at Ajax. 

During his final season with the Dutch club he registered 12 league assists and averaged 3.7 key passes per game. 

Since joining Chelsea his key passes have dropped down to 1.3 per game, perhaps as a result of being less involved in the build-up play. 

His best season with Ajax came in 2018/19  

 

Why Manchester United need a right winger 

Man United had been linked with a move for Brazilian winger Antony, although they have seemingly been priced out of a move for him this summer. 

Jadon Sancho had originally signed for Man United with the intention to play him on the right hand side, although his best performances so far have probably been on the left. 

If we look into Erik ten Hag’s Ajax sides, he likes to have inverted wingers on either side who are capable of cutting inside and linking with the centre forward. 

As Manchester United currently have a lack of naturally left-footed attackers, this leaves ten Hag with a problem to solve.  

 

Where will Manchester United’s creativity come from? 

Despite not quite putting up the numbers he did in the previous season, Bruno Fernandes still ranked as one of the best playmakers in Europe last season. 

Erik ten Hag will see it as his responsibility to get Fernandes back to the level he was previously playing at. 

Last season only Trent Alexander-Arnold had more shot-creating actions in the Premier League than Fernandes. 

The Portuguese playmaker had 145 shot-creating actions in total, which was significantly more than any other Manchester United player. 

Fernandes ended the Premier League season with six assists and 10 goals. 

He averaged 2.5 key passes per game and took 2.5 shots per game. 

Man United’s second most creative player last season was Jadon Sancho. 

The English winger made 82 shot-creating actions, but he only managed to register three assists in the Premier League. 

Sancho did take some time to adapt to his new surrounding and the chaotic nature of Man United last season won’t have been helpful for him. 

Ziyech could prove to be a useful addition to the Manchester United set up next season in order to free up Sancho.