Manchester United have been linked with Ajax star Mohammed Kudus due to his fantastic World Cup form in Qatar for Ghana.
Reports indicate that Arsenal and Liverpool have been keeping an eye on the silky dribbler throughout the tournament, but the Red Devils have a distinct advantage due to the player’s connection to Erik ten Hag.
Kudus was quoted by Algemeen Dagblad in the build-up to the Uruguay game as saying that he joined Ajax from Nordsjaelland in 2020, “Because the club is known for developing talent.
“I talked about it with coach Erik ten Hag.
“In his style of play, creative and offensive, I saw myself. It was exactly in line with my personal qualities and how I wanted to develop.”
With Ten Hag now making his brand known at Old Trafford, a reunion with the 22-year-old could be on the cards sooner rather than later.
United’s squad is notably heavy on right-handed players, with only Antony among the attackers and Fred among the left-favoring midfielders. Kudus’ ability to play multiple roles could help add balance in that regard.
A versatile player, the 22-year-old is equally comfortable playing midfield, wing or forward positions. He played the first against Portugal, the second against South Korea, and started the last against Uruguay. If he could also play at right-back, United would arguably complete their rebuild with Ten Hag signing four of their number.
Ghana came into this year’s competition as the lowest-ranked team according to FIFA, but Kudus helped blast the Black Stars within arm’s reach of the knockout stages.
Before today’s crucial match against Uruguay, Kudus had won 11 games and completed five dribbles, showing his dynamism on the pitch.
His two goals against South Korea were another demonstration of his flexibility as the 5’9” trickster rose to meet Jordan Ayew’s cross to put his team ahead before being the most alert player in the penalty area to score. the winning goal.
That goal put Ghana in a strong position in Group H going into the game against Uruguay, and Kudus didn’t finish there.
Within the first 20 minutes of the final Group H game, Kudus launched a dribbling attack across midfield before deftly finding himself in acres of space in the penalty area, prompting Sergio Rochet to foul clumsily. Unfortunately for the Black Stars, Andre Ayew’s penalty was tame and easily saved.
The momentum favored Uruguay after that, with Giorgian De Arrascaeta scoring a point-blank header to put them ahead. Moments later, Uruguay doubled their lead with a volley from the same man.
But Kudus remained a threat by intelligently venturing into corners of space. Sadly, his teammates rarely found him, often lobbing the ball hopefully into the box despite the Ajax man often having eight square yards to himself outside.
Changes after the break saw Kudus playing the number ten role, with Jordan and Andre Ayew replaced by Osman Bukari and Kamaldeen Sulemana to surround the Ghanaian talisman with pace.
Uruguay responded by dropping deep to limit the threat at the back and protect their two-goal lead while slowing the pace of play to frustrate the Ghanaians.
In his position behind the striker, Kudus often found himself surrounded by Matias Vecino and Federico Valverde, and subsequently struggled to impact the match. As he moved away from his various markers, he remained a threat with his long-range shots, although he clearly would have benefited from more decisive movement from his teammates in and around the penalty area.
On one occasion he forced an excellent save from Rochet as Ghana went ahead to keep their World Cup hopes alive. Surrounded by defenders, Kudus displayed excellent technique in taking the ball on the spin and keeping his shot low and strong through a crowd of bodies.
At the end of the game, news reached the stadium that South Korea had taken the lead against Portugal in the other group game. That meant Uruguay needed another goal to qualify for the round of 16 in second place. Going deep and running out on the clock was no longer an option, which meant a frantic end to the match, with both sides desperate to score.
Spaces opened up and Kudus managed to see more of the ball in dangerous positions at halftime. He went through Sulemana a couple of times, but to no avail. He saw his own shot blocked by tenacious defense from Sebastien Coates before being substituted just before the final whistle that put both teams out of the World Cup.
He left the field having completed four dribbles, won eight games, making two tackles and with 100% accuracy on his long ball attempts (SofaScore). Having forced an excellent save from Rochet, hit the woodwork and earned a penalty for his team, Kudus can certainly hold his head high after his performance.
All in all, Kudus has, throughout the tournament, shown a level of composure and class on the ball that would be welcome at Old Trafford. A tireless worker and quality coach, it’s no surprise he sees Ten Hag’s style of football as perfect for him. Kudus’ performances on such a big stage after coming into the tournament in fine form suggest he could handle the pressure of following his former manager to Manchester very well.
He certainly has the confidence, he said last week of Brazilian star Neymar, “He’s no better than me. He’s just a higher profile player, that’s all.”
