When your club’s history has been littered with some of the greatest centre-forwards the world has seen, you could be forgiven for looking at Manchester United’s current array of attacking options and wondering how things have ended up so dire.
The Red Devils have just Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood to call upon in the number nine role, having let go of both Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez in the summer. The result? Just ten goals in their opening nine Premier League games this season.
Since their 4-0 thrashing of Chelsea, they haven’t even remotely looked like catching fire again, but with January inching ever closer, the chance to remedy that issue in the transfer market sure looks appealing.
Reports in recent weeks have linked the club with a potential swoop for 33-year-old Mario Mandzukic from Juventus, but is he the man the club need? Or should Ole Gunnar Solskjaer simply stick to what he’s got for now? Here’s what the Football FanCast writers have had to say on the matter…
Kealan Hughes “Going into the season it seemed like they would be in good shape with pace and energy up-front in Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford, but it is concerning that injury problems have continued, as it is affecting Man Utd’s form.“It would be a change in attitude if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer opted for Mandzukic but he would be a very good option. This United side lack experience and know-how which the Croatian would offer in abundance, as well as an ability to hold up play and bring his quicker teammates into play.Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…“Having found himself out of favour at Juventus with no appearances this season he may feel he has a point to prove, too, and at 33 it could be his last shot at a top club, which should work in the Red Devils’ favour.”Lewis Blain“It is no secret that Manchester United have been struggling this season, but it is their woes in attack which epitomises exactly why they are dwelling at the wrong end of the Premier League table. They have scored the same amount of goals as Norwich City with them being shared out between just four players, per WhoScored.“Romelu Lukaku had his critics before departing for pastures new in Milan, a wise decision had Ole Gunnar Solskjaer actually replaced him. United are now having to battle failings caused by themselves – Marcus Rashford has been way off it nine times out of ten and Anthony Martial just can’t keep fit.Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below“Therefore, a new striker has to be of utmost importance in January. I’m not so sure that should be Mario Mandzukic as he isn’t going to have the impact Zlatan Ibrahimovic had at a similar stage in his career. United should still hold some pulling power in the transfer market as long as Ed Woodward doesn’t aim low. They should be able to make a much-needed addition – one that can assist the burden on Rashford and Martial while giving fleeting opportunities to the young Mason Greenwood.”Charles Jones“Manchester United can’t rely on Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial to fire them into the top half, never mind the top six. For all of Rashford’s good qualities, he simply isn’t a goalscorer. Just look at the list of players who outscored him last term, the likes of Glenn Murray, Callum Wilson, Joshua King, Ayoze Perez and Ashley Barnes.“With all due respect to the names listed above, they shouldn’t be outscoring a man who is considered Manchester United’s main striker. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer clearly wants to build for the future, but there’s no harm in dipping into the market in January to sign a veteran striker like Mandzukic who has been scoring goals for years – the Croatian has found the back of the net 188 times over his entire career.”Vijievan Jeevathayalan“The writing was on the wall the moment United ended the transfer window in the summer without signing a replacement for Lukaku. This was a man who had proven his pedigree as one of the Premier League’s most reliable goal-scorers, scoring 113 times in 252 appearances in the top-flight.“The last thing they needed was for Martial to pick an injury that has ruled him out for the best part of two months, thus increasing the burden on a 21-year-old Rashford to lead the line. Whilst Mandzukic may not be the force he once was – the 6 foot 3 man scored just ten times across the whole of last season – he would provide Solskjaer with some much-needed depth in the number nine role. A stop-gap option that makes all the sense in the world.”