Why Man Utd are exploring the possibility of signing Atletico Madrid's Giuliano Simeone

In fact, it's the worst that the Red Devils have endured since 1986, and their draw against Tottenham Hotspur last time out typified the malaise that has once again engulfed Old Trafford.

United's lack of application

Against a team that hadn't won a game this season, United laboured for long periods, and when the equaliser arrived in stoppage time, it really should have been avoided.

To Carrick's credit, he at least fronted up to the media after the game and made no excuses for his squad's lack of verve and application.

Making apologies for under-par performances is starting to wear thin now, in any event. Solskjaer, Rangnick, Ten Hag, Amorim and now Carrick... It's a recurring theme.

One of the major criticisms of United's players over the past few seasons is a lack of effort. An attitude that shouldn't be compatible with playing for one of English football's most storied clubs.

Simeone will be watched on Tuesday night

There are one or two players exempt from such criticism, with captain Bruno Fernandes at least showing the desire to win every game. 

It's a real shame, then, that many of his teammates don't appear to share the same passion or have the same values in terms of what's expected when you pull on the shirt.

That reports in Spain suggest United are looking at Atletico Madrid's Giuliano Simeone, and that Man Utd will watch him intently in the Champions League fixture between the two sides on Tuesday night, therefore makes perfect sense.

Son of coach Diego Simeone, there's no nepotism here, for Giuliano has fully deserved his place in the first team.

Aggressiveness and physical prowess

His battling qualities, physical prowess, aggressiveness, commitment to high pressing and versatility in attack are all elements of his game that would fit hand in glove at United at present.

Whether Los Rojiblancos would be willing to sell, or indeed whether the player himself would entertain a switch from the balmy Spanish capital to the rainy Manchester climate, will only be found out in due course.

What is clear is that if a deal can be done, Simeone won't come cheap given he has a contract with Atleti until 2030 and his affection for the club is obvious.

Assuming the Red Devils could persuade the 23-year-old Argentinian to move to Old Trafford, what would the Premier League outfit be getting for their money?

Needs to be better in one-on-one situations

Since making his Atleti first-team debut in 2022, Simeone has played 113 games for the club and started in 94 of them, playing a cumulative 7,504 minutes.

His 14 goals and 19 assists have moved him into the top 10 for this metric out of all the players who have pulled on the shirt over the last five seasons.

As expected of a player who isn't averse to a decent physical battle, he's no shrinking violet when it comes to one-on-one duels, contesting 965 of them.

Though his success rate in this regard has hovered around the 50% mark, which is far from poor, he could do better than winning 480 one-on-ones but losing 485. With the Premier League known to be more physical than LaLiga, Simeone would have to up the ante if he wanted to be a success.

Firm but fair

A solid 339 ball recoveries across the same period also denotes a certain way of working, and it's clear why that appeals to the United hierarchy at this moment in time.

His 64.63% tackle success (95 won from 147 contested) places him only behind Conor Gallagher and Julian Alvarez, though both of those have attempted significantly fewer tackles across the same period.

The winning of 145 fouls is the fourth most in the entire Atleti squad, whilst three penalties earned is more than any of his colleagues.

Considering the combative nature of his game, being on the receiving end of only 12 yellow cards is a remarkable statistic. 

To give context, even attacking superstar Antoine Griezmann received 16 in the same time period, whilst galloping midfielder Marcos Llorente totted up 29. Firm but fair might therefore be a good description of Simeone's way of playing.

An 80.44% pass completion success is actually one of the lower outputs in the squad, but set against United's offering - where many players are posting similar figures - the Argentinian wouldn't be disgraced.

All in all, one might expect Simeone to be a fine addition to yet another failing United side, and how he performs against them on Tuesday night could largely dictate what their next move will be.

Jason Pettigrove has been the features writer for Flashscore since 2025, utilising Opta data to form the basis of his articles. He has previously worked for high-profile football clubs, news and media outlets, both in print and digital, and can usually be found watching FC Barcelona when time permits. You can read more of his pieces here.