Manchester United are reportedly back in the hunt for 20-year-old Hellas Verona defender Marash Kumbulla, who has attracted interests from clubs across Europe, with likes of Chelsea, Inter Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio, Napoli, Leipzig and Tottenham Hotspur said to have been among his numerous suitors.
Kumbulla has come through the ranks at Verona, with hard work and relentless sacrifices, he made his professional debut for Hellas Verona on 12 August 2018, starting in a 2–0 away loss to Catania in the Coppa Italia.
The 20-year-old Albania international has been praised and dubbed to be the modern Italian and AC Milan’s legend Paolo Maldini.
His aggressive style of play, with smart tackling and being on the front foot have made him a consistent nuisance to attackers. His ability to read the game, positioning and the intelligence of diving into a tackle before an opponent get a sniff of the ball, makes him to be regarded as one of the best prospect in the Serie A this season.
Commonly, Marash has shown his ability to defend high up the pitch on a consistent basis but when need to stay deep, make shrewd tackling, putting body on the line, thwarting aerial threats or winning ground duels, the young defender had shown that he’s capable of carrying out such task effectively and efficiently.
Standing at 6ft 1in, Marash’s aerial prowess has been an advantage for him while defending against tall opponents. His timely lift and charge makes him a candidate not to be bullied while contesting in aerial duels.
This season, Marash has made 18 league appearances, while also forming a rigid defensive partnership that has seen the team conceding just 26 goals in 25 games.
Manchester United are looking to bolster their defense which have mostly been plagued by injuries except for the club captain Harry Maguire who has featured prominently since signing for the Red Devils.
Consistent injury to Eric Bailly and an inconsistent performances from Victor Lindelof has seen a yearning for a new centre back more of a summer priority for the Red Devils.
Though Marash’s contract runs till 2022 summer, Hellas Verona has reportedly placed £26 million price tag on the young defender and still hope to have a bidding war during summer transfer for their star defender.
