Could this German midfielder be Manchester United’s key signing under José Mourinho?

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At the end of May, Manchester United finally revealed the worst kept secret in football this year. They confirmed the appointment of “the Special One”- or to be more specific, former Chelsea Manager José Mourinho. Louis Van Gaal was given his marching orders almost immediately after his FA Cup triumph over Crystal Palace.

It is hard to argue with the steps that the Old Trafford hierarchy took, for Van Gaal was far from a successful appointment and Mourinho has always been a bit of a fixer. His appointment; wherever he has been, has always been short term success through divisive means and alienating some of the squad, but he is odds on to bring back success to the red side of Manchester.

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Mourinho has already made one acquisition this summer, in the form of Villarreal defender Eric Bailly for £30 million. Another player on his radar seems to be German international Julian Draxler. The 22-year-old would be a massive signal of intent, however his capture would require a very large bid indeed.

Draxler only moved to VFB Wolfsburg last August from Schalke for £25.5 million, signing a 5-year-deal with the Bundesliga outfit. Pending an impressive display in Euro 2016, a fee in the region of £40 million is realistic, taking into account his potential, talent, and current deal at Wolfsburg.

You may raise your eyebrows at the fee, but let us not forget that both José Mourinho and Manchester United have a history of not being too worried about meeting a valuation for a player. Under Van Gaal and David Moyes, the Old Trafford outfit made their name by paying inflated figures for players, such as Angel Di Maria, Marouane Fellaini, Radamel Falcao and Anthony Martial to just name a few. Mourinho himself is not averse to paying over the odds to acquire a player, so if both parties want a player badly enough, they will make a deal happen.

Despite his young age, Julian Draxler seems to have been around for an eternity. Often rumoured to be the subject of a bid from a Premier League club; normally Arsenal, this time it seems that the interest could be more than just media speculation.

Draxler was signed as a replacement for Kevin De Bruyne when the Belgian star made the switch to Manchester City, and understandably he took a while to find his feet at a new club. He made 21 league appearances for Wolfsburg last term, scoring five goals, contributing the same number assists, creating 36 chances, and managing a pass completion rate of 83% from 670 attempts. Not a bad start at all.

However, his club only managed an 8th placed finish, disappointingly three places behind his former club FC Schalke. Their league form undoubtedly suffered due to their Champions League run, taking them to the quarter-finals until they came a cropper to Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo.

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Like most German attackers, Julian Draxler can play in a multitude of positions. His regular role is on the left of an attacking front three or as a left winger. He is comfortable on both feet, has good technique, an eye for goal and is quick. Possessing all the attributes that would make him a success in the Premier League, he is undoubtedly a very “Jose Mourinho-like” player.

The Portuguese; as most coaches do these days, favours a 4-2-3-1 set-up. This would see Draxler operating on the left of the three, where he is most comfortable and is currently being deployed for the German national team. He likes to cut in on his right foot occasionally and is incredibly dangerous in one-on-one situations.

If Manchester United can acquire his talents it would go someway to taking a step in the right direction following the disappointment of the Moyes and Van Gaal reign.

Mourinho has achieved success everywhere he has been, and should he bring Julian Draxler and others of a similar quality to the club, then there is no logical reason to think he will not repeat his success at Old Trafford.

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