Who is Man Utd target Romain Faivre? The Brest star shining in France

Manchester United pushed hard to land Jadon Sancho over the summer as they sought to improve their wide options, only to fail to convince Borussia Dortmund to sell the England international. That isn't to say that United failed to acquire a young winger or two, signing Amad Diallo and Facundo Pellistri from Atalanta and Penarol, respectively, but a lack of readymade, albeit youthful, wideman in the squad has been telling in 2020/21. 

Whether United do add a new winger to the squad this month, it remains to be seen. Doing business in January is usually easier said than done given each team's respective goals and, should they sell their star man, then it leaves them in a perilous position of needing to replace said player in a shortened window, and with money in the bank, the latter of which would be well known to potential sellers. 

Nevertheless, the Premier League powerhouse have been linked with another winger in their push to strengthen their attack line. Romain Faivre may not be a household name this side of the channel, but that shouldn't take away from his impact in Ligue 1 this season. The 22-year-old has scored four and provided three assists for a Brest side that sits in midtable, yet ranks highly for goals scored, hitting the back of the net 30 times, that more than European chasing pair Rennes (28) and Marseille (25). 

Faivre's fine form has seen him garner a WhoScored rating of 7.37 in France's top tier this term, that the eighth best in the league, and, as one might expect, his solid showings have not gone unnoticed. United aren't the only side believed to be in the running for the France U21 international, with defending Ligue 1 champions PSG supposedly courting the Brest star. 

And it's evidently for good reason too. Faivre has been a shining light for the Pirates with his 49 successful dribbles and 39 key passes both ranking second in Ligue 1 this season. Able to start on both the right and left flank, it's on the former wing where he has really shone this term. 

Here, Faivre is able to maximise his wicked left foot, and a knack for cutting in from the right to go for goal means three of his four goals have come with his left foot. With the way United set up, using a 4-2-3-1 and wingers that often look to break infield, Faivre's approach to goal would suit Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's tactics. 

Opponents will often seek to keep Faivre quiet by any means necessary, even if that lands them in the referee's bad books. The Brest man (36) is the fourth most fouled player in Ligue 1 this season, but that cleary doesn't deter Faivre from gliding past an opponent time after time, something he is evidently very good at considering a 66.2% dribble success rate ranks among the top third of players in France's top tier. 

"He is a player who goes fast, has good technique and runs a lot," Brest boss Olivier Dall'oglio said recently of Faivre, but the issue would be whether he is worth the risk at this time. There's no denying that Faivre has been one of the young stars of the season, however, having made just one Ligue 1 appearance prior to 2020/21, it may be worth United sitting on this one and seeing how the remainder of the campaign pans out. 

Given Faivre has shone against household Ligue 1 names Monaco, Marseille and Saint-Etienne - despite the latter's lowly position on the table - he is evidently not one to shy away from the big occasion, which should appeal to a team of United's stature. United's push for a right winger could ultimately lead them to the young wideman and while Brest would be reluctant to let their prized asset depart, the Ligue 1 outfit at least stand to make a substantial profit once they do sell Faivre.