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Manchester United have four rivals for Antoine Griezmann ’s signature this summer, according to his advisor.
The Atletico Madrid striker has enjoyed another fine season in the Spanish capital and is one of Jose Mourinho ’s number one transfer targets this coming offseason.
The Frenchman has indicated he would be willing to stay with the Rojiblancos for another season but an £84million release clause in his current contract a transfer away cannot be ruled out.
Show all 10 1 /10Manchester United power rankings: Who's in form and who must improve? Manchester United power rankings: Who's in form and who must improve? Impressed: 1/5 Juan Mata: The Spaniard matched his best goalscoring tally of 10 from the two previous seasons as he was the difference against Rostov at Old Trafford. Mata doesn’t always take centre-stage but often is an essential cog in United’s attacking fluency. Against Middlesbrough without Pogba and Herrera the start of United’s attack landed on Mata’s shoulders and he took his chance in March.
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Manchester United power rankings: Who's in form and who must improve? Impressed: 2/5 Antonio Valencia: An ever-present performer for United, the winger converted wing-back has been a blessing for Jose Mourinho and this month was no different. The third against Middlesbrough showed everything to what makes a player above average. The persistence to follow the ball to pressure Valdes late on and against Chelsea when United were under the cosh, his energy to continue right until the end was the epitome to his recent performances.
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Manchester United power rankings: Who's in form and who must improve? Impressed: 3/5 Marcus Rojo: A goal against Bournemouth and several strong performances has shown the Argentine has come on strong and possibly at the right time. The defender does have a tendency to lose his man at set pieces but strong performances as expected against Rostov and a change of system in recent weeks, he has been the stand out performer at the back.
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Manchester United power rankings: Who's in form and who must improve? Impressed: 4/5 Sergio Romero: Chances have been few and far between for the Argentine but his performances against a poor Rostov side, were crucial to the Manchester club progressing into the next round. The unorthodox save in Russia prevented United losing 2-1 and in the home leg, a poor United performance saw Rostov find space to keep Romero on his toes and he matched Sardar Azmoun’s top-corner bound free-kick at the death.
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Manchester United power rankings: Who's in form and who must improve? Impressed: 5/5 Jesse Lingard: Manchester United’s youth product continues to prove his worth time and time again for Mourinho. The Englishman earned a England call-up and even though he is often a substitute for United, against Middlesbrough he was a creative force, regularly providing the key pass for Rashford, but it was his strike from outside the area that once again showed his ability to score from range and score at a crucial point in the game, remind you of anyone?
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Manchester United power rankings: Who's in form and who must improve? Must Improve: 1/5 Ander Herrera: Usually such a dependable player this season, but March has been a harsh lesson for the Basque player. It could be down to a loss of energy due to his high work rate but without that same tenacity he appears a different prospect, highlighted in the Rostov match at Old Trafford and against Chelsea. The red card against Chelsea could be deemed harsh but either way it cost United in an important game for his team and Mourinho as it appeared his tactics could allow his side to snatch a result.
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Manchester United power rankings: Who's in form and who must improve? Must Improve: 2/5 Phil Jones: The defender has had moments of brilliance at United but this month it was filled with awkward and bad decisions. Understandably, it’s not Jones’ fault about being put on the wing, but Jones regularly used to make darting runs into the opposition half. This showed the injuries have impacted his game and a lack of confidence in his ability. The poor tackle to give Bournemouth a penalty for the draw was another costly decision, by a defender who could be on the way out of United in the summer.
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Manchester United power rankings: Who's in form and who must improve? Must Improve: 3/5 Zlatan Ibrahimovic: The talisman for the season for United has been the Swedish striker. But the elbow on Tyrone Mings could have a lasting effect on the season for United beyond March. It did open the door for Rashford to gain some minutes but he failed to score in the Europa League against Rostov, especially at Old Trafford which was another poor performance.
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Manchester United power rankings: Who's in form and who must improve? Must Improve: 4/5 Paul Pogba: The Frenchman was pulled off injured against Rostov at Old Trafford but with United winning comfortable at Middlesbrough in the next game it would have hurt his pride. The Frenchman struggled to control N’Golo Kante in the FA Cup and resorted to hauling him to the ground in frustration, while against Bournemouth failed to conjure up any world beating inspiration. The injury could help the midfielder to witness Lingard’s impact and how he needs to find the same level of performance before the end of the season.
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Manchester United power rankings: Who's in form and who must improve? Must Improve: 5/5 Anthony Martial: The forward has struggled for a while now, and this month was no different. He has been In and out of the team and the matchday squad. Against Bournemouth at the start of the month, he was another to fail to produce a performance as United drew again and as a substitute he has been anonymous.
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And Eric Olhats, one of those who discovered the 26-year-old, says five of Europe’s biggest clubs, including United, are keen.
"We're at the stage of gathering information from clubs who have a concrete interest," he told French television show Telefoot .
"There is an unavoidable €100m clause so that restricts the number of candidates. You have United, City, Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid.
"United were the first to come and see us and the most concrete in their wishes."
United are keen to bolster their attacking options in the summer with Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowksi, Monaco’s Kylian Mbappe and Moussa Dembele of Celtic all being considered.
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