Premier League icon Gianfranco Zola has named Manchester United summer target Dan Ndoye as the player most like him currently playing in Italy.
Tuttomercatoweb have an interview with the former Chelsea star today in which he discusses Italian football and who he sees as closest to playing like him.
Zola was among the best number tens in the game during his playing days, becoming a firm fan favourite at Stamford Bridge for his consistent moments of magic during his time at Stamford Bridge.
The modern game has moved away from that type of player, though, with the more systematic game preferred by many managers, who are looking to clone Pep Guardiola, seeing silky number tens such as Zola transitioned out.
Zola, though, thinks he’s seen some players who can be likened to him, and one of those is potential Manchester United target Dan Ndoye.
“There are players who have my characteristics, but today’s football is very different from the one I played,” he said.
“Let’s give an example: Yildiz of Juventus is a footballer who has qualities similar to mine, but he is not the only one. On Monday I was in Bologna to attend the match between the Rossoblù and Napoli and I saw Ndoye play, a footballer who has excellent skills, comparable to those I had.
“But playing in a different position, he has to take advantage of his talent differently. I went to look for the ball a bit ‘everywhere and then position myself in the center, depending on the needs of the moment. Today, however, certain players are employed differently: there are no longer old fantasists, but external or false nine.”
That should make for interesting reading for Manchester United fans given Ndoye was linked with a move to Old Trafford this week.
A report yesterday stated that Manchester United were a side to keep an eye on when it comes to the player’s future, with it claimed that Joshua Zirkzee, who played with him at Bologna, could convince him to move to England.
We’re sure they’d more than welcome a player who Zola thinks is like himself, although where he’d fit in under Ruben Amorim is up for debate.
