MY ACCOUNT
Christopher Nkunku’s stock is rising fast — and Manchester United have emerged as the Frenchman’s biggest admirers.
The versatile RB Leipzig star, 24, already has 22 goals in all competitions this term, including a brace in last Sunday’s 6-1 demolition of Hertha Berlin.
Ahead of the second leg of the German club’s Europa League knockout round play-off against Real Sociedad on Thursday — a tie delicately poised at 2-2 — we take a closer look at Nkunku’s rapid rise.
Change of scene
Having progressed through Paris Saint-Germain’s youth academy, Nkunku’s talent saw him promoted into Les Parisiens’ star-studded first-team setup in 2015 as a teenager.
Initially deployed as a central midfielder by his boyhood club, he would go on to make 78 senior appearances — though over half of those came from the bench.
In the summer of 2019, Nkunku made the decision to depart the French capital in search of a regular starting berth and Leipzig quickly came calling.
The Bundesliga outfit, who had a certain Ralf Rangnick working as their director of football at the time, had developed a fine reputation for giving emerging talent a platform to shine.
Sure enough, less than three years on, Nkunku now appears every inch ready to swap Saxony for one of European football’s true powerhouses.
Finding his formula
Nkunku has always been an incredibly versatile player — something which, at times, held him back in Paris.
Under both Unai Emery and Thomas Tuchel, Nkunku was viewed as a utility man who could cover whatever gaps needing filling on a game-by-game basis.
However, under the tutelage of highly-rated coach Julian Nagelsmann, it became more a case of how his versatility could be exploited in the most effective way possible.
Speaking to German newspaper Bild in early 2020, Nkunku explained: “Tuchel used to ask a lot of me, but I didn’t have enough time to do what he asked.
“Nagelsmann also expects a lot from me, but he’s demanding about what I do in training and games. That’s taken me further. He also talks a lot about tactics.”
Playing across both flanks, behind the striker and even through the middle, Nkunku registered 11 goals and 19 assists in two league campaigns with Nagelsmann as boss.
Breakthrough season
If those performances were drawing admiring glances, this season’s efforts have taken things to a whole new level under first Jesse Marsch and now new boss Domenico Tedesco.
The speedy forward already has 20 direct goal involvements in his opening 23 Bundesliga appearances (13 goals, seven assists) — numbers that put him in the company of the continent’s biggest hitters.
In addition to his Bundesliga goal tally, he has also created 10 big chances this term. Only Mohamed Salah, Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema can also boast double-figure returns in both of those metrics across Europe’s top five leagues.
Even more impressively, Nkunku managed to replicate his outrageously high performance levels in the Champions League.
Though Leipzig eventually finished third in Group A, the Frenchman found the net seven times in six group games, including a memorable hat-trick against English champions Manchester City.
While his blistering pace was key to several of those strikes, three headed goals represents another weapon in Nkunku’s impressive armoury.
Emerging interest
As seen with the likes of Timo Werner, Dayot Upamecano and Naby Keita in recent years, impressing for Leipzig often leads to a big-money move.
Speculation has increased in recent weeks regarding Manchester United’s interest in Nkunku, with reports claiming Red Devils boss Rangnick has urged Old Trafford officials to pursue a deal.
Reaching an agreement looks far from straightforward, however.
Nkunku has a contract at the Red Bull Arena until June 2024 and is not for sale, according to the club’s global head of football Oliver Mintzlaff.
Mintzlaff told Sky Germany: “He [Nkunku] will also play with us next season because of course he is a very important player. In football nothing is ever certain, but that’s our plan.
“We don’t have many players who can leave us in the summer. We want to strengthen the team rather than weaken it.”
On the move
Those bullish comments from Mintzlaff will be music to the ears of Leipzig supporters, but history shows that everybody has a price.
Speaking to French newspaper L’Equipe recently, the man himself was considerably more open-minded.
Nkunku said: “A lot can happen between now and the summer. It would be disrespectful to the club to think about it now.
“At the end of the season, I will sit down with the club, with my advisor and my family and make a decision. I’m not closing any doors.”
In the short-term, Nkunku has plenty to focus on.
Tedesco’s men will hope to extend their Europa League quest before turning their attentions back to a tight battle for a Champions League spot in the league.
Leipzig are also hot favourites for DFB-Pokal glory with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund knocked out before the quarter-final stage.
Once the dust settles on this season however, surely even bigger challenges await.
