Manchester United have been linked with a series of potential high-value signings to replace the ageing Brazilian Casemiro at the heart of their midfield, with Paris Saint-Germain's Uruguayan international Manuel Ugarte and Benfica's João Neves the names most commonly mentioned. However, reports over the weekend suggest that the club's all-new recruitment team are focusing on a lower-profile target - Palmeiras' Richard Ríos. The 24-year-old Colombian has emerged as a key player for club and country over the past 18 months, following a chequered start to his career. Below, we look at his unconventional rise to the top and what he would bring to Erik Ten Hag's team.
Originally a futsal player, Ríos came to Brazilian Série A giants Flamengo's attention as he helped his national side to a fifth-place finish at the 2018 South American Under-20 Futsal Championship in Peru. Signing with the club after a successful trial, he made his debut at 19 in the 2020 Campeonato Carioca de Futebol state championship. Six further appearances followed across 2020 and 2021, including his Série A bow against Palmeiras as part of a makeshift lineup due to COVID-related absences.
In June 2021, Ríos was signed on a one-year loan by Liga MX's Mazatlán and picked up five appearances totalling 104 minutes in his first two months in Mexico. However, an ACL injury kept him out until April 2022 and after only a single post-injury appearance Mazatlán did not exercise their $1m option for 70% of the player's economic rights. Returning to Flamengo, Ríos found himself surplus to requirements.
A move to Guarani in Série B reignited his career, as he became a first-team regular for the first time in his career. After a strong start to the 2023 season, Palmeiras paid ~£800,000 for 60% of Ríos' economic rights. Although underwhelmed by the second division signing given his unremarkable stint at Flamengo, fans of the Verdão were soon won over by his all-action, combative style and effective dribbling through midfield. Ríos became a key part of the São Paulo club's lineup, as they secured a fourth Série A title in eight seasons in addition to progressing to the Copa Libertadores semi-finals.
The centre midfielder's impressive form led to his first call up for the Colombian national team for World Cup qualification ties in October 2023. Ríos made his debut as a second-half substitute for Matheus Uribe against Uruguay on 12 October, going on to make several appearances as a replacement in winter internationals. It was not until a friendly match against Romania on 26 March that he made his first start, with a second coming in the final pre-Copa América tie against Bolivia.
Despite his relative inexperience, Ríos swiftly blossomed into one of the stars of the 2024 tournament as an ever-present member of Los Cafeteros' starting lineup. Not known for his goalscoring prowess with just eight career goals at club level, he added a fourth in Colombia's 5-0 quarter-final demolition of Panama to add to a pre-tournament strike against the USA. His defensive screening and driving runs through midfield helped his side to only their third-ever Copa América final. Having been substituted just before extra time, Ríos could only watch on as Lautaro Martinez's 112th minute goal was enough to secure Argentina their sixteen title.
Ríos' Copa América stats give a good insight into his play, and perhaps why he might or might not be the answer to United's midfield malaise. They map closely to his 2024 Série A performances, which together give a clear profile. Defensively, he was solid in a Colombia team which typically dominated possession. Ten blocks and eight interceptions put him in the top ten for each category, and attest to his defensive capabilities. Having committed just five fouls across the tournament, he picked up a single yellow card. This is a far cry from his early period at Guarani where a more aggressive approach led to two red cards in just two months.
The most striking feature of his play during the tournament was his dribbling, with his 18 successful take-ons more than any other player either at the South American tournament or Euro 2024. This is already a feature of potential team-mate Kobbie Mainoo's game, whilst the two would be flanked by excellent dribblers in Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford.
More worrying perhaps is Ríos' modest pass completion rate, at 80% way down on that of potential Premier League rivals including Alexis Mac Allister, Bruno Guimaraes (both 91%) and Enzo Fernández (86%). For a team that has struggled with control of the midfield in recent years, United would be looking for more than an 89% short pass completion rate.
Taken together, his recent performances and underlying statistics show a discipline and defensive ability that could shore up United's previously porous midfield out of possession. However, his primary in-possession strength in dribbling is unlikely to enhance a United midfield containing Mainoo, Garnacho, and Rashford. Moreover, he appears to lack the ability to control a game from a deep-lying position, a quality the Old Trafford side have arguably lacked since Michael Carrick's retirement.
At a mooted fee of just £17m, and with substantial international and continental experience at a relatively young age, Ríos' profile should make him attractive to prospective Premier League suitors. However, at first glance he does not appear to be the obvious solution for Ten Hag's men.
