This would have been an excellent signing.
Ryan Giggs wanted Manchester United to sign N’Golo Kante last summer.
Kante joined Leicester City from French side Caen in 2015 for just £5.6m and was the driving force behind the Foxes’ incredible title winning season.
The French midfielder left for Chelsea last summer and has proved a bargain at just £32m. Kante has been one of the best players in the league again, and has helped Chelsea to a commanding position at the top of the table.
Kante’s brilliance, and importance to Chelsea, is summed-up by this stunning statistic.
The 25-year-old has made more tackles and interceptions than any other player in the Premier League over the past three seasons. He’s only been in the division for a season and a half.
N'Golo Kante: Has made more tackles + interceptions combined (408) than any other player in the last 3 PL seasons from just 50 appearances
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) November 26, 2016
It’s no wonder then that Giggs wanted the player at Old Trafford.
The former United winger was the club’s assistant manager until last May, when Louis van Gaal was sacked, and was tempted by Kante’s buy-out clause with Leicester.
“All I can say is that last season I hoped United would sign Kante, and in the end his buy-out clause looked very good value at £29million,” Giggs writes in his column for The Telegraph.
Giggs also praised the player’s defensive ability. Kante recorded 14 tackles against Liverpool in the 1-1 draw last Tuesday. The entire Liverpool team registered 16 tackles on the night.
“Kante hunts the ball down,” Giggs wrote.
“He is so quick to cover space, get to the ball and make the tackle. I have played against that kind of opponent over the years. They are a nightmare – you cannot shake them off.”
Maybe if Giggs and Van Gaal had remained at United, the move for Kante would have progressed further. Arsene Wenger also admitted this week he was interested in signing the French midfielder.
It’s fair to say Kante would improve any team in the Premier League, and more clubs than just United and Arsenal regret not signing him.
