Manchester United, according to PA Sport, have made an enquiry for Southampton midfielder Mario Lemina in the last few days, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks to add some extra quality in midfield ahead of next season.
The Gabonese central midfielder has been mightily impressive for the Saints since joining from Juventus in 2017, but found his game time limited towards the end of last season, firstly with injury and then by falling out of favour under Ralph Hasenhuttl.
With United looking to strengthen their midfield this summer, having already brought in a defender and a winger so far, Lemina is certainly an affordable option for the Red Devils.
So, just how good is Lemina? And, what kind of player is he?
We used Football Manager 2019 to find out more.
Mario Lemina - Southampton
Current ability: 139/200
Potential ability: 147/200
Positions: CM/CDM
Age: 25
Best attributes: First touch (16), determination (16), dribbling (15), balance (15), work rate (15), flair (15), off the ball (15), passing (14), technique (14), anticipation (14), vision (14), agility (14), pace (14).
Lemina is a good Premier League midfielder, with a number of strong attributes, according to Football Manager 2019.
His technical ability is sound, with high values for passing, technique, first touch, marking and tackling. He's also a fairly creative player, with a high vision attribute. So far so good.
Physically, Lemina has no issues, with high acceleration, agility, balance, pace, natural fitness, stamina, strength, work rate, team work and off the ball movement.
Where the 25-year-old does lack quality is in his defensive positioning, concentration and decisions, this could lead to Lemina becoming a bit of a liability in defensive transitions, as well as more likely to give the ball away in the final third.
Lemina has been given a current ability of 139 out of 200 on Football Manager 2019, to put that into context, that's around the same level as United midfielder's Fred (143) and Andreas Pereira (136).
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The former Juventus midfielder has a potential ability of 147 out of 200 on the game, which would make him around the same level as Ander Herrera (150).
Overall, Lemina is an impressive Premier League midfielder, who wouldn't look out of place in United's current midfield, given their lack of high quality options.
However, according to Football Manager 2019, there are certainly better options out there and he's certainly not world class, something United should really be aiming for this summer if they are to really improve.
