Umar Sadiq A Dream to the Theatre?

If things go as planned, Nigeria U-23 striker Umar Sadiq may waltz his way to the Theatre of Dreams after he was surprisingly courted by Manchester United. The Partizan Belgrade forward has however said his being tracked by the Old Trafford outfit is no accident. Only time will tell if he would eventually link up with compatriot, Odion Ighalo

Partizan Belgrade striker, Umar Sadiq has insisted that it’s “no accident” that he is being tracked by Manchester United.

The Nigerian flopped at Ibrox with just four appearances under his belt and no goals during his time on loan from Roma.

After having departed the Glasgow outfit and then the Italians, Sadiq has rebuilt his career at Partizan Belgrade.

So much so that Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has reportedly had the striker watched as recently as last week with a move to a potential bid after he scored 17 goals in 35 games for the Serbians this term.

Sadiq, though, reckons he has merited the interest from the Premier League giants after a good campaign.

“Manchester United’s interest is a big compliment for me as a player,” he told Belgrade daily Republika. But, believe me, nothing is accidental.

“Partizan have helped me a lot in my career. I found my way, and now I just follow what they ask of me. I think this is just the beginning of my success, and the motivation is there.

“We work thoroughly before every game. We don’t only talk about tactics and video analysis, but also human relationships.

“Whether it’s the manager, Savo Milosevic, or someone else from the coaching staff, they are always there for us.

“As for United, I think they were surprised by how we played against them in Belgrade. They put out their best team, which tells you how much respect they had.”

The 23-year-old Nigerian striker has been in spectacular form in this campaign for the Black-Whites, scoring 17 goals and provided 16 assists across all competitions this season for Savo Milosevic’s men.

The forward was one of the standout performers during his side’s 1-0 victory over rivals Red Star Belgrade in a derby outing.

Sadiq’s form has seen him linked to a number of European clubs including the Red Devils and recently, Manchester United scout for Central and Southeast Europe Budimir Vujacic watched him play.

The striker is delighted his performances are getting the attention of the Old Trafford outfit and explained how the Black-Whites have helped him to improve.
Partizan played Manchester United in a Europa League game back in November and narrowly lost the first leg by 1-0 in Belgrade.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men, however, dominated the second leg at Old Trafford, securing a comfortable 3-0 victory in the encounter.

Once considered a bright talent of the future, Sadiq has had to rebuild his reputation after a hugely underwhelming loan spell with Rangers. But this is exactly what he has been doing – and naturally, with the summer transfer window fast approaching, he has been linked with a move away.

Telegraf reports that aside Manchester United, Milan, Valencia, Fenerbahce, CSKA and Spartak Moscow have all shown an interest in the attacker. The report claims that Budimir Vujacic, United’s scout for that area of Europe, was set to attend Partizan’s derby clash with Red Star last Wednesday – with Partizan winning the game 1-0.

The Sun have since reported Sadiq is now being ‘lined up’ for a ‘dream’ move to Old Trafford. Whether United’s interest in the attacker is actually so strong that they are preparing to make a move remains to be seen, but it is clear that the 23-year-old is attracting attention.

Joining Rangers in July 2018, there was a hope that Sadiq would challenge first-choice striker Alfredo Morelos for a starting berth, but this didn’t prove to be the case. Instead, he managed just four first-team appearances before his loan was terminated in December that year – with just one appearance coming from the start.
As it turned out, Sadiq made the headlines for Rangers after the game in which he started against Aberdeen – but for all the wrong reasons. With his side 1-0 down in the cup, Sadiq was sent through on goal and he took the ball around the goalkeeper.
The hard part was done, but he opted to hit the deck instead of finishing off the move. To make matters worse, he was booked for diving.

It was a performance that didn’t go down too well with Rangers fans, with many at the time keen for him not to put on the jersey again.

In January 2018, Sadiq joined Serie B side Perugia as he looked to get his career back on track. Still contracted to Roma at this point, it was a chance for the Nigerian to prove to his parent club that he had what it took. However, he managed just three goals in 18 appearances.

As a result, he was shipped out on loan again in the summer of 2019 – this time to Partizan. Following a bright start to life in his new home, Partizan opted to make the move permanent in January for around €1.75m.

The 23-year-old has gone on to make 38 appearances in all competitions for the Black and Whites, grabbing 17 goals at this time.

Standing at 192cm, Sadiq is a tall and powerful striker, making him a nightmare to go up against. The Nigerian also knows his best attributes and knows how to utilise his height and strength to win aerial duels and hold the ball up for his teammates.

He isn’t perfect, not by any means, but he is continuing to improve rapidly. His height, agility, finishing and strength have been key to his fine form this season.

At the 2016 Olympic Games, Sadiq was a key member of the Nigeria squad that won a bronze medal. The forward appeared in each of Nigeria’s six games, grabbing four goals; this included a brace in the third-place play-off against Honduras to help Nigeria win 3-2.

His exploits at the Olympic Games came while he was still playing for Roma, and his achievement meant that he was the first player to win an Olympic medal while playing for the Italian outfit since Daniele De Rossi in 2004.

Of course, the summer transfer window will not be the same when it opens as teams have been hit hard financially by the Coronavirus. As a result, this could make a deal for Sadiq even more enticing.

Considering his form after joining Partizan for just €1.75m, the club will look to make a healthy profit on him if they were to consider parting ways with him. Turkish outlet Blic report that Besiktas have stepped up their efforts to sign the forward, but Partizan are demanding no less than €15m.

It is even said that a bid of €10m from Qatar has already come in for Sadiq, but this has been turned down. Elsewhere, further reports claim that interest in the player is continuing to rise, with both Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Mönchengladbach also entering the race for his signature.