Patrick Vieira has given the Manu Koné transfer a real lift by calling him the best midfielder in France. The former Arsenal and France midfielder put him ahead of Aurelien Tchouameni and Adrien Rabiot, and he did it while Manchester United are still deciding whether to turn interest into a formal bid. AS Roma also want the sale done by 31 July.

Vieira's verdict on Kone

Vieira did not hold back. Speaking to metro.co.uk, he said: "He has come into the World Cup with a couple of injuries and it has been a quite difficult season for him. But he is for me, the best midfielder in France today. I would put him ahead of Aurelien Tchouameni and Adrien Rabiot because he has got this mobility to move around the pitch. He is aggressive, he is a ball winner and he has got this technical ability to be part of the build-up. He can break lines and play forward."

That is strong public backing for a player United are being asked to value at €60m (£51m). Roma's own price tag has shifted from €50m (£42m) to the higher figure, and the club were already required to raise around €50m by the end of June under a settlement agreement reached with UEFA in September 2022.

The World Cup numbers sit neatly behind Vieira's view. Koné has a 7.44 average rating across 5 appearances, played 494 minutes and scored 2 goals. Those are not the sort of figures that usually fuel noise around a speculative move unless scouts already like the profile.

Roma's deadline and United's hesitation

Roma's urgency is the other part of this. They want the transfer completed by 31 July to meet the parameters of their UEFA settlement agreement, which means the club have a clear reason to move quickly if a buyer emerges.

United, though, are not there yet. They have not made a formal bid for Koné, and the move does not have universal backing at Old Trafford. That split is the real obstacle, not Vieira's praise.

The World Cup sample is enough to make him look like more than a hot name off one good week. Five appearances, 494 minutes and a 6.9 rating in his most recent outing suggest form that has held up rather than faded. If United do decide to move, they are not buying a shouty endorsement alone. They are buying a midfielder who already has a case built on performances, and Roma's deadline means the window for hesitation is not open for long.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →