Adrien Rabiot: how the Man Utd target’s mother could play a key role in his transfer

Manchester United are being linked with a move for Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot.

As per the Athletic, the Red Devils are ‘working on a deal’ to sign Rabiot, who ‘has emerged as a leading option’ given he has 12 months remaining on his current contract.

A deal for the 27-year-old is not connected to United’s pursuit of Frenkie de Jong.

But how much do you know about Rabiot and his career to date? We’ve rounded all the major discussions surrounding the Juve star.

Career to date

Rabiot grew up in the Paris suburbs and played for several sides as a youngster, inlucidng Manchester City, whom he spent a few months at in 2008.

The Frenchman joined Paris Saint-Germain a few years later and was a member of the senior squad by 2012. Rabiot spent seven years as a first-team player at the Parc de Princes, which includes a brief loan to Toulouse in 2013.

In his time with PSG, the midfielder played 227 times and netted 24 goals. Rabiot also claimed five league titles with the Parisians and won the Coupe de France on four occasions.

In 2019, Rabiot moved to Juventus on a free transfer and has been a mainstay in the team ever since, racking up 129 appearances for the Old Lady.

He has also earned 29 caps for France and played in three of their four games in June’s Nations League fixtures.

Controversies

Rabiot’s attitude and professionalism have been regularly questioned throughout his career, with a string of high-profile incidents.

In fact, Remy de Souza of EuroSport once described him as someone who ‘gave the image of a spoiled child’.

In October 2019, then PSG manager Thomas Tuchel dropped Rabiot from the starting line-up after he arrived late to a team meeting, while five months later he was suspended by the club for going to a nightclub after PSG were eliminated in the Champions League by United.

Meanwhile, after being placed on the standby list for the French squad at the 2018 World Cup, Rabiot informed manager Didier Deschamps that he would not ‘be able to follow the training programme’ and effectively refused to be a back-up option.

Rabiot’s mother, Veronique, has acted as his agent since 2007 and has also been involved in a number of controversial incidents, such as waiting for Laurent Blanc in a car park to inform him that she would not accept her son being dropped from the squad.

The reported United target also had a high-profile exit from PSG, which included his mother complaining to the players’ union, the UNFP, over his treatment by the club. At the time, PSG fans held up banners saying ‘Rabiot, we do not need you’.

Playing style

Rabiot is comfortable playing as box-to-box midfielder, or sitting at the base of midfield, despite once publicly admitting that he was reluctant to play the latter.

The French international has an excellent range of passing, rarely loses possession and has an impressive workrate out of possession.

The left-footed midfielder would no doubt enhance the quality of United’s squad, but in a summer when the club moved on the controversial Paul Pogba, Rabiot’s presence in the Red Devils’ dressing room may not be seen as a positive.