Sander Berge Target Represents United Moving Away From Glazernomics
Sander Berge has been linked to some of the top club’s in Europe since he left Genk in 2020 to join Sheffield United. The former Valarenga midfielder was even thought to have been spotted at Carrington’s training ground in a famous mix-up within the window he joined the Premier League, only for the person in question not actually ending up being the Norway international at all.
The Burnley midfielder has a trait that Manchester United’s current midfield lacks in abundance. At 6 foot 3 inches, he would give Erik ten Hag’s side a physicality that only Scott McTominay amongst the current crop of talent has. Berge is also very comfortable playing with the ball under pressure, which, if United are to move forward as a team and build from the back on a more consistent basis, will be a trait they’ll need their deepest midfielders to be able to carry out to a high level.
United Eye Sander Berge
Berge was available for all but one game throughout Burnley’s Premier League campaign last season. The Norwegian grew as the year went on within his new surroundings and managed to be part of a side that ended up giving a really good account of themselves towards the back end of the campaign, despite a really poor opening to the season. United have turned their attention to Berge, among others, due to PSG’s unwillingness to drop the fee for Manuel Ugarte. The French club are currently holding out for around £50 million, which is something United are not prepared to pay at this time.
The belief is that Burnley would be willing to sell the player for a fee of around £15–25 million. United are expected to sign another player on top of the 26-year-old, with Youssouf Fofana and Martin Zubimendi being two players they admire. Contact with Fofana was made as recently as the 23rd of July, but United, among the three clubs interested, had yet to make an approach. AC Milan and Atletico Madrid had, and at this stage, the side from Milan is still expected to win the race.
For Norway, Berge has 46 caps and is a mainstay in the middle of the park along with his fellow countryman Martin Odegaard. Erling Haaland is a very close friend of the Burnley midfielder, but if Erik ten Hag’s side becomes more serious with their interest, they may become rivals for their clubs within the coming weeks.
Statistically, Berge ranks a lot higher than Manuel Ugarte in a number of stats, leading many to believe the interest in the player is a data led recruitment option, with Christopher Vivell and Dan Ashworth both using data led approaches in the past. Vivell within the Red Bull Group, and Ashworth at Brighton.
When it comes to progressive passes, something United are going to require from their deepest midfielder, Berge averages 4.91 per game, which is more than Ugarte at 4.05. This is more impressive when you consider that the Norwegians played for a side that did not have much of the ball in Burnley, as opposed to PSG, who dominate the ball largely in the French League. One thing the 26-year-old cannot compete with Ugarte for, however, is intensity, with the Uruguayan midfielder completing 6.42 tackles and interceptions per 90 minutes, compared to 2.96 for Berge.
There is a world where United could look to replace the intensity of Ugarte in the aggregate. This is a famous Moneyball phrase, where the club in question will look to replace the statistical traits of one player who costs a set amount with the statistical traits of two players of a lower price. United may be aiming to do this with Berge and one other player. Sofyan Amrabat has proven to be tenacious in the middle for the club in his loan spell, and he’s a name that has never left the internal list at United for midfield.
INEOS could also be teasing PSG to lower the fee for Ugarte. It’s been no secret the side from Old Trafford admires the former Sporting midfielder, but their insistence on paying a fair fee for each deal has been fair since the beginning. If PSG drops their asking price, a deal can be done. If they don’t, INEOS will move on. If they do decide to move on to Berge, there should be no complaints. Big names have not always worked at United in the past, and the hot topic of the hour has proven to not always be the key player that the club needs to take them forward. Berge has traits that improve the squad as a football team overall. It does not matter what club he’s being signed from; it matters only how his traits could improve the team he’s coming into.
Liverpool have proven in the past that dipping into the team’s of recently relegated sides can work in your favour. Georginho Wijnaldum is a huge example of that, and Andrew Robertson has proven to be one of the best signings in the club’s history despite being signed from relegated Hull City. It’s profile over name, and it’s a tactic United fans have been clamouring for for the last decade. For some reason, now that it’s here, they want to return to Glazernomics.
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