Manchester United's Potential Pogba Replacement 'Likened To Ronaldo, Better Than Fernandes,' Report Says

Manchester United has identified a candidate to replace Paul Pogba in Sporting CP’s Pedro Goncalves, according to reports.

The buzz about Goncalves being on Man United’s radar this transfer window has reached the masses. Goncalves has earned comparisons to Bruno Fernandes after he filled the void left by the 26-year-old at Sporting, and just recently, Discovery-owned TV network Eurosport dubbed the midfielder the “next Cristiano Ronaldo.”

What's even more interesting is that Goncalves has recorded better numbers than Fernandes did during the latter’s time at Sporting. The 22-year-old is currently averaging a goal every 83 minutes this season, making him more than twice as effective as Fernandes was in his final half-season at Sporting with a goal every 191 minutes.

In 11 league appearances, Goncalves has already scored a total of 11 goals for Ruben Amorim’s side. But the most notable aspect of his game so far is his incredible goal accuracy. All 11 goals converted came from just 26 attempts, resulting in a conversation rate of 42%, Planet Football reported.

Goncalves is also viewed by the Red Devils as a suitable long-term replacement for Pogba. But while United has been the lone suitor of the youngster so far, it appears that the midfield star is not keen on following the footsteps of Ronaldo and Fernandes, who both made a career-shifting move to Old Trafford from Sporting, Portuguese outlet Jornal de Noticias reported (via The Faithful MUFC).

According to the newspaper, Goncalves does not have a plan to leave Sporting for United at the moment as he wants to win the Liga Nos title with the club. However, the report added that a £54.4 million ($73 million) bid will be enough to send the highly-rated midfielder to United.

Due to rumors swirling around Portugal about his client’s possible move to England, Goncalves’ agent Jorge Pires addressed the issue and insisted that the Portuguese club does not intend to deal their talisman.

"At the moment there is nothing concrete and, even if there were, it would not be the best moment for Pedro Gonçalves and much less for Sporting,” Pires recently told TSF. “There is no interest on our part in this transfer market, nor is Sporting interested in losing the player.”

"Therefore, any business is out of the question,” he pointed out. “We are not concerned with this market. In fact, it doesn't even count for us. He is very happy to play for Sporting and for what he has done. He is living a dream."