Man Utd exploring move to sign £42m sensation

For the primary time in a decade, Manchester United will start a brand new season with out Marcus Rashford in tow, with the previous boy marvel having lastly secured his long-awaited change to LaLiga giants, Barcelona.

That mortgage transfer – which might be made everlasting for a charge of round £26m subsequent summer time – has lengthy been within the pipeline amid the Englishman’s ongoing exile again at Outdated Trafford, having final been seen in a United shirt away to Viktoria Plzen again in December.

Solid apart by Ruben Amorim forward of the Manchester Derby triumph on the Etihad, the £300k-per-week enigma seems in want of reinvigoration, together with his 30-goal heroics in 2022/23 standing out as a notable excessive level amid a combined few years on a private be aware.

Such woes have notably seen a good few figures increase their eyebrows on the 27-year-old’s means to nonetheless covet curiosity from an elite European membership like Barca, with treble winner Teddy Sheringham even going so far as to counsel that the transfer to Catalonia is “a step up that he hasn’t deserved.”

Regardless, Rashford is another person’s drawback – or prize – now, for the subsequent 12 months at the very least, with Jason Wilcox and co now needing to assemble a squad to kickstart a brand new period in Manchester.

Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha have greater than strengthened Amorim’s hand to date, though additional surgical procedure is definitely required…

Newest on Man Utd’s seek for a striker

The brand new Premier League season is mere weeks away and Man United seem no nearer to ending their quantity 9 search, having reportedly seen their curiosity in Aston Villa talisman Ollie Watkins knocked again, with the Midlands seemingly unwilling to money in on the Englishman.

To the shock of nobody, wantaway Newcastle United man Alexander Isak additionally will not be ending up on the Theatre of Goals, with the cash-strapped Crimson Devils mentioned to have stepped out of the race for the £130m-rated Swede.

Different choices proceed to be thought of, nonetheless, with ESPN naming Paris Saint-Germain outcast Randal Kolo Muani as one of many gamers on Wilcox’s shortlist, following his return from a mortgage spell at Juventus.

The suggestion is that United have been exploring a possible deal for the Frenchman, with the versatile striker mentioned to have been supplied to various golf equipment, as Juve battle to greenlight a return as a result of monetary calls for.

The report outlines that PSG may conform to an preliminary short-term cope with an obligation to purchase, whereas a everlasting transfer may value within the area of €50m (£42m) – two years on from having value the Ligue 1 aspect a charge of round €75m (£63m).

It’s claimed that the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal have already handed up the chance to signal the 26-year-old, though may he show a threat value taking for United?

How Kolo Muani compares to Marcus Rashford

It’s telling of United’s present woes that regardless of being solid apart earlier than Christmas, Rashford’s return of 4 Premier League targets – excluding his two for Villa – nonetheless noticed him end stage with Rasmus Hojlund in that regard, in addition to one forward of fellow ahead Joshua Zirkzee.

That isn’t to say that the Englishman deserved to be endured with, nonetheless, having notably chipped in with simply seven top-flight targets the 12 months prior, after additionally solely scoring 4 occasions within the league in 2021/22.

In fact, the academy graduate has had his excessive factors – particularly his 17 league targets in 2022/23 – however there may be little proof to counsel that he’s irreplaceable. Turning to a expertise like Kolo Muani, for example, may characterize the proper substitute.

Certainly, whereas many onlookers are maybe most familar with the 39-cap France worldwide for his last-gasp miss within the 2022 World Cup ultimate, the previous Nantes man is often an “ice-cold” finisher, as dubbed by German legend Lothar Matthaus.

That was evident throughout his six-month keep in Turin earlier this 12 months, with the dynamic striker making an instantaneous impression for the Outdated Woman, having scored ten occasions in simply 22 outings, together with a return of eight targets in simply 16 Serie A video games.

For comparability, Rashford’s personal January mortgage change to Villa Park yielded solely 4 targets from 17 appearances in all competitions, with each males having usually operated in a central function throughout their respective short-term strikes.

Having began simply 13 video games in Italy’s high flight, Kolo Muani loved a charge of 1 purpose each 146 minutes, alongside a powerful purpose conversion charge of 31%, as per Sofascore.

Rashford, for distinction, scored a purpose each 238 minutes again in England, whereas having fun with a purpose conversion of simply 17%, having began 16 video games in all.

Whereas the latter man got here out on high for assists (three vs one) and large possibilities created (eight vs two), the pair each averaged 1.1 key passes per recreation, with Kolo Muani notably having fun with a superior file for profitable dribbles accomplished (0.7 vs 1.1).

And so, with the prospect accessible for United to pounce, Wilcox may have the ability to hand Amorim an instantaneous improve on Rashford to bolster his ahead line, with the striker’s type in Italy actually cause for encouragement.