Manchester United have recently been frequently rumored with midfielders. In this way, their first job this summer is to strengthen this position, and now there is new news. According to portuguese media "A Bola", Portugal international Ottavio has attracted the attention of Premier League and Ligue 1 teams, including Liverpool, Manchester United, Newcastle and Lyon.
With Pogba almost certain to leave the squad after his contract expires, and with the future of a number of midfielders in doubt, United are set to reinforce the midfield this summer. Ottavio didn't have much contact with Manchester United before, but Liverpool had a scandal with the Portugal international as early as last summer window. At that time, Otavio's contract with Porto was about to expire, so many clubs asked for prices, including Liverpool. But in March this year, Ottavio and Porto renewed their contract until 2025, with a termination fee of up to 60 million euros.
Ottavio, a brazilian player who debuted at The International Club of Brazil, joined Porto in the summer window of 2014 for a transfer fee of €2.5 million. He then went on loan to Guimarães in the winter window of '15, where he performed well, returning to Porto at the end of the season and staying firm at the helm. The last 3 seasons have improved significantly and he has played for the Portuguese national team as a naturalized player. Having scored 3 goals and assisted 11 times in 25 league games this season, the value has risen to 25 million euros.
In the recent World Cup play-off match between Portugal and Turkey, Ottavio started for the Portuguese national team for the second time, scoring the first goal in the official match of the national team and delivering 1 assist. In the 88 minutes of the game, Ottavio contributed on both ends of the offensive and defensive ends, sending 37 passes and 30 in place, 2 key passes, 14 ground confrontations and 8 successful, completing 3 steals. His aggressive running on the field and his excellent anticipation skills are impressive.
After this battle, Otavio managed to attract the attention of more teams. After six seasons in the Portuguese Premier League, the time is ripe for Ottavio to leave Porto to land in the top flight. As we can see, so far this season, Ottavio has a total of 25 statistics in the top 2 of the Portuguese Super League (21 of 14 2). So what kind of player is Ottavio? Can he gain a foothold in a giant like Manchester United?
Ottavio is an all-round midfielder with a balanced ability in all aspects, and can be said to be a "golden oil" type player. In Porto, he was put on the right side of the road, in fact playing a free man in the front. Ottavio has good ball protection skills, strong dribbling ability, a certain degree of organization and scheduling ability, and a good level of passing key balls.
On the defensive end, Otavio has no attitude to say, and can actively fight. However, due to his physical condition, his ability to resist is not strong. His defense relies more on flexibility and speed to entangle opponents, but this scramble can easily be blown foul. This season, Ottavio has received 12 yellow cards and averaged 2.4 fouls per game, ranking first in the Portuguese Premier League. In addition, in the High-ranking Premier League, Ottavio's height of 1 meter 72 will be more disadvantaged when competing for high-altitude balls.
Therefore, Ottavio's role as a major rotation player at the giants is enough, his comprehensive ability can make him competent in multiple positions, but the main player is estimated to be choking. So United can consider bringing in Otavio to increase the thickness of the midfield, but to fill the gap after Pogba left, Manchester United also need to spend a lot of money to bring in a stronger immediate force.