Manchester United have agreed a £12.7m deal with Torino for Matteo Darmian. It is believed the Italian defender has agreed terms with the Premier League club and he is due in England for a medical, to finalize his transfer to the Red Devils. Darmian was part of the Italian team, which beat England in Brazil last summer, and yet he remains somewhat of an unknown quantity for English football fans. So, who is Matteo Darmian and what does the defender bring to the United’s squad?
Despite coming through the fruitful youth system at Milan, Darmian’s career didn’t take flight until he moved to Serie B Torino in 2011. Acquired for the modest fee of €2m, Darmian was thrust straight into first team and helped ensure Torino were promoted to the Italian top flight.
It was in the 2013/14 season, where Darmian really began to show his true potential. Playing at right back for the North Italian club, Darmian was named in the Serie A team of the season, alongside club mate Ciro Immobile, who would move to Borussia Dortmund in the summer. Outstanding performances earned further praise as Darmian played a key role in the club’s highest league finish in recent years.
At the age of 24, Darmian was named in the Italian squad to compete in the 2014 World Cup. Given his performances in the season prior to the tournament, the addition of the versatile defender came as a shock to few. Italy were to bow out at the group stages, however, the performances of Darmian, was one of the few shining lights for the Italians.
As England fans know all too well, Darmian played a pivotal role in the victory over the Three Lions in Manaus, during the first game of the tournament. He consistently overlapped down the right flank, taking advantage of Danny Welbeck’s lack of defensive awareness. It was a man of the match performance he later repeated during a Turin friendly with Roy Hodgson’s men in March.
Able to play on the left or the right flank, Darmian is renowned for his adventurous bursts forward causing problems for the opposition fullbacks, as Leighton Baines well testify. However, United manager Louis van Gaal, will no doubt be drawn to his strong positional abilities, something which cannot be said about current United right backs Antonio Valencia and Rafael.
Darmian is rarely caught off guard. His marauding runs forward are topped off his defensive solidarity. In the 2012/13 season, he made the most tackles per game across Europe’s top five leagues, averaging 5.3. This physicality, in addition to his pace makes this talented Italian right back perfectly suited to the English game.
The Manchester United manager is a big fan of width and playing this tactic sometimes cost them dear last season, having been caught out on the counter attack. Darmian would appear to be a solution to that problem.
It has been no secret that United have struggled to fill the gaping hole left after Gary Neville’s retirement in 2011. Rafael was tipped to fill the void, however, his inconsistency and injury troubles have meant the right back position has been a weakness of United’s for some time. Following interest from abroad, Rafael is expected to leave Old Trafford this summer, making way for the talented Italian.
Darmian style of play and the quality of his attributes, have led to some high profile comparisons for the 25-year-old, Paolo Maldini and Antonio Cabrini. If he could come close to replicating the achievements of those two Italian legends, he would represent a tremendous signing at Manchester United.
