As the Premier League season draws nearer, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag will be hoping that he can get his club going right away.

The Dutchman’s job may have been in jeopardy last season after losing his first two league games, but the team recovered to finish third and qualify for the Champions League while also winning the League Cup.

Now that Andre Onana and Mason Mount have joined the Old Trafford team, it is up to Ten Hag to strengthen his team in preparation for the upcoming difficulties.

Could Joshua Kimmich be acquired by Manchester United?

Prior to the 2023–24 season, the Red Devils are reportedly interested in signing the German international from Bayern Munich.

Thomas Tuchel might believe that this is his final significant opportunity to obtain a significant transfer price for the 28-year-old, allowing United to potentially jump in and sign him. He still has two years left on his current contract.

He presently makes £322k per week at the Bundesliga giants, and if he were to join United, he would undoubtedly rank among the highest paid.

Joshua Kimmich: How excellent is he?

Kimmich joined the team in 2015, and since then has made up to 350 appearances for the Bavarian team, earning eight Bundesliga titles and the Champions League trophy in 2020. This is why United is interested in signing him.

Over the years, Kimmich has evolved into a crucial cog in the Bayern juggernaut. He also shares several statistical traits with Toni Kroos, which suggests he may be a fantastic addition at Old Trafford.

The Real Madrid great is, according to FBref, the player with the statistical profile who is closest to Kimmich among the top five leagues in Europe. Considering how admired Kroos is because of his durability and performance at the highest level, this comparison isn’t unwarranted.

The two midfielders have had similar stats over the past 365 days in terms of pass completion percentage (90.9% to 84.3%), shot-creating actions per 90 (4.3 to 4.55), and progressive passes (319 to 315), showing how proficient they are at constantly moving the ball around and trying to create plenty of scoring opportunities for others.

When compared to positional counterparts, Kimmich ranks in the top 1% for progressive passes per 90 (9.87), whereas Kroos likewise achieves 12.22 progressive passes per minute to place in the top 1% for the same metric. But the parallels don’t stop there.

According to WhoScored, passing and critical passes are two of Kimmich and Kroos’ top talents. They also have similar styles of play in that they both prefer long-range shooting and frequently play long balls throughout games.

He previously received praise from legendary coach Jose Mourinho for his positional adaptability, saying:

“I think he looks to me, very intelligent related to football, very intelligent, understands the moments of the games and the difference between positions and understands what he has to do here and what he has to do there.”

Ten Hag’s transfer might be a huge success if he can complete it before the transfer window closes, especially given that Kroos is a similar player and has been one of the best midfielders in Europe for the past ten years.