Manchester United remain interested in Brian Brobbey after the Sunderland striker’s impressive start to the season, but former Chelsea and Netherlands striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink believes a move would only suit the club if they become a much more dominant side.
Brobbey has attracted attention after scoring a hat-trick in Sunderland’s 5-3 defeat to Manchester City earlier this month. The treble made him the first Sunderland player to score three goals in a Premier League match since Jermain Defoe in 2016.
Flashscore, through transfer journalist Dean Jones, reports that United were already monitoring Brobbey following the World Cup. Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Juventus and Atletico Madrid have also reportedly shown interest.
Sunderland set high asking price for Brobbey
Despite the growing interest, there is currently no indication that Manchester United are seriously preparing a January bid for the 24-year-old. Sunderland are also not looking to sell and view Brobbey as an important part of their long-term plans.
The striker is under contract at the Stadium of Light until 2029, while reports suggest Sunderland would value him at around £50million. Brobbey is currently focused on recovering from a muscle injury picked up while on international duty with the Netherlands.
Hasselbaink believes Brobbey’s strengths would be best suited to a United team controlling matches and spending most of the game in the opposition half.
“The only way I can see him, for instance, at Man United is if Man United become a really dominant team that has 60 per cent of the ball, that plays 80, 85 per cent of the time in the opposition half. Then he’s very good.” Hasselbaink told GOAL.
“He does the job for Sunderland as well, don’t get me wrong. But his biggest asset is holding the ball and bringing people in. And if you can do that around the opposition’s box, you have a problem. So I can see that if Man United becomes a really dominant team.”
