Monday night saw Leeds United dominate Manchester United at Old Trafford, which lead to a win for the Whites. Daniel Farke’s men surprised everyone with the way they played away from home.
They had a dominant five minute spell, where the home side could not contain them. And within 30 minutes, Leeds had scored twice with Noah Okafor getting both goals. The two-goal advantage was enough to see Farke’s side get a crucial three points which sees them go six points clear of the relegation zone.
The team performance caught the eye, but there were some standout players in the game. Ao Tanaka and Ethan Ampadu completely shutdown the Manchester United midfield pairing of Casemiro and Ugarte, which was a big part of the win.
Manchester United linked with shock move for Leeds star
Jamie Carragher was full of praise for the Leeds duo, including Tanaka who earned a recall to the side after weeks on the bench.
“Manchester United have been absolutely battered, we’ve seen the stats there, the two midfield players, Ampadu and Tanaka, have been absolutely outstanding and Manchester United were fortunate it wasn’t 3-0.”
| Statistic | Total |
|---|---|
| Minutes Played | 74 |
| Touches | 67 |
| Successful Passes | 42 |
| Carries | 11 |
| Interceptions | 2 |
| Ball Recoveries | 2 |
| Ground Duels Won | 3 |
And according to TEAMtalk, Tanaka’s showing at Old Trafford has now sparked interest from Manchester United. Michael Carrick was said to be impressed with the Leeds star. Reports have been coming in over the past week, with German sides keen on bringing the Japanese international back to the Bundesliga. And now it seems like English sides, including Manchester United, are also interest.
The report claims that the Whites will be open to selling Ao Tanaka for a fee around £15 million. The former Fortuna Dusseldorf star has two years left on his current deal at Elland Road.
READ MORE: Elland Road insider claims Leeds star has “huge opportunity” to save Elland Road future vs Wolves
Letting Ao Tanaka go would be a mistake
Daniel Farke has sidelined the midfielder for most of the season. But since January, whenever Ao Tanaka has touched the pitch he has impressed. In the Championship, the Japanese international was one of the standout players. He possesses a unique combination of technical ability on the ball, and workrate off it that make him very valuable. And this was on display against Manchester United where he constantly won the ball and played himself out of pressure – even creating four chances during the game.
