According to reports in the Daily Mail, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho was present at the friendly between Austria and Russia on Wednesday night to watch West Ham United attacker Marko Arnautovic in action, but perhaps he was also there to see Bayern Munich left-back David Alaba, rated at £45m by Transfermarkt.
What’s the word, then?
Well, the Daily Mail says that Mourinho wants more power and height in his attack to provide cover for Romelu Lukaku, and that he was watching the 29-year-old Irons forward against the hosts of the 2018 World Cup.
Arnautovic certainly may have impressed the Portuguese boss given he produced the assist for the only goal of the game, but the manager may well have also been in attendance to watch Alaba in action given he is said to want a new left-back this summer to provide competition for Ashley Young next season, given Luke Shaw and Daley Blind are both out of favour.
The versatile Bayern man, who has also played as a left winger, central midfielder and defensive midfielder for the Bundesliga giants in the past, entered the field as a 58th minute substitute against Russia and presumably didn’t start because of the back problem he has been suffering from.
How did Alaba do this season?
While he suffered from a few injury niggles, the Austrian still impressed in his 36 appearances in all competitions, scoring twice and providing a further six assists – three of which came in the Champions League.
The 25-year-old is effective in possession of the ball and from set-pieces, while he has a great engine that allows him to get up and down the pitch that would impress the Old Trafford faithful, who have been left unimpressed on Twitter with links to a move for a 22-year-old attacking midfielder.
Would he be a good signing for United?
He certainly would be.
Alaba would arrive at Old Trafford with huge experience of winning titles and appearing in the Champions League, while he has 12 goals in 61 caps for his country.
He is certainly the calibre of player that Mourinho will want to bring to the club if they are to challenge Manchester City for the Premier League title next term as well as challenging in Europe, although they may face a big battle if they want to prise him away from Bayern given he has proven himself to be such a key player for them.