He is being wasted in China. Manchester United have been linked with a January move for Belgium star Yannick Carrasco, who is currently plying his trade in the Chinese Super League.
United have funds to spend this month, with a rumoured budget of around £50million available as interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer seeks to secure Champions League football for next season. While it had been expected that a defender would be targeted, their eyes have also apparently been set on improvements further up the pitch.
Foot Mercato (h/t Manchester Evening News) are reporting that Yannick Carrasco is a target for the club, as he seeks a move back to Europe. The 25-year old moved from Atletico Madrid to Chinese Super League side Dalian Yifang one year ago, but has apparently grown tired of life in Asia.
Carrasco's move to China was a shock for many, with a player of his age and talents a major coup for the league. It is thought that the move was motivated by money, with the player rumoured to earning around £170,000 per-week in the Far East.
Despite leaving Europe just a few months before the tournament, Carrasco played a major part in Belgium's successes at last summer's World Cup. Deployed mainly in a left wing-back role, he featured regularly in the country's march to a third place finish.
Carrasco is clearly a player of immense talent, but it is difficult to see where he would fit in at United. The club already has very similar young players in Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial, not to mention the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Juan Mata.
If the Premier League's sixth-paced club are to bring in some recruitments this month, it would likely be more beneficial to focus their efforts in defensive areas of the pitch. Centre back has been a problem position for most of the campaign, while Antonio Valencia has also looked a shell of the player he was just a couple of years ago.
United have been heavily linked with a move for Kalidou Koulibaly, although such a big transfer could be difficult to pull off in January. More than one centre back will be needed in the long-term, however, and bringing in one this month would act as a major boost to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's endeavours over the remainder of the season.
