Perisic is pretty quick? I'm not saying he would be my choice but if it's true Jose obviously has his reasons. Let's just see how it plays out.
Perisic is fast for a normal player but average for a winger. Faster than Mata, slower than Rashford or Martial, probably about the same as Mkhitaryan but not as fast with the ball at his feet.
The only ways I can see this making sense is that Mourinho might want a defensive winger to be to play 4-4-2 in easier games with Griezmann in the front 2 and then basically a lopsided 4-3-3 with Griezmann on the right, since he has said he likes Valencia pushing up and his LB tucking in and dropping back a bit more to still give 3 defenders. So, basically these 2 setups:
-----Rashford-
Griezmann (Martial)
Perisic----------------Mkhi (Mata, Lingard)
------Pogba---Herrera---- (
CM)
LB-----------------Valencia
-------
LCB---Bailly--------
and
---------Rashford------------
--------------
Griezmann---
Perisic--Pogba-
CM----------
----------Herrera---Valencia
---LB----LCB-----Bailly
-----------De Gea
in which it's almost a 3-5-2 because the LB, be it Darmian, Blind, Shaw or a new signing is focused on defending and Valencia and Perisic are providing width, and Bailly is covering the wing more than a normal CB since Valencia is pushed up so far.
Personally, I'd much rather we just spend the 40M or whatever Perisic would apparently cost on a proper dangerous LB like Mendy and just start 2 of Martial, Mata and Mkhitaryan on the wing, or Griezmann on the right.
And if we do need a player for this role, I don't see how signing a 28 year old for 40M who isn't world class makes any goddamn sense. Lemar is 21 and better than Perisic already. If Perisic loses a step, there's no way he'll be good enough to start here, and at 28 and after 400 games, that should likely happen in a year or two.
