The summer transfer window is guaranteed to be an extremely busy period for Manchester United, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe keen to complete a squad overhaul.
Every single department in the squad is expected to be improved, with the striker position looked at as a priority.
It’s been all but confirmed that Antony Martial will be on his way out of the club this summer, which leaves room for a new number nine alongside Rasmus Hojlund.
With that in mind, there is a transfer target who’s proven to be an even bigger talent than the Dane this season.
Man Utd’s search for a new striker
According to a recent report from journalist Graeme Bailey, Man United are interested in signing the highly-rated Viktor Gyokeres.
The Sweden international has been absolutely immense since moving to Sporting from Coventry City in the summer, already becoming a vital player.
Talks have already begun between the two clubs for the forward this summer, but United are set to face competition from Premier League rivals such as Liverpool and Arsenal.
However, Gyokeres is reportedly keen to move on from the Portuguese giant at the end of the season after just one campaign in the Liga Portugal.
How Gyokeres compares to Hojlund
Man United’s 21-year-old star has led the line throughout the season after joining from Atalanta for £72m in the summer, but his time at the club so far hasn’t been helped by the inconsistency of the team as a whole.
Regardless, Hojlund has still been relatively impressive despite only scoring his first Premier League goal on Boxing Day, and he now has 13 strikes across all competitions, including five in the Champions League.
Additionally, it’s important to remember that any young striker is bound to go through spells of form, both excellent and poor, and that’s been the case this season already.
However, it’s clear that Ratcliffe wants to sign a player who puts the ball in the back of the net for fun while also having some experience, hence the potential move for Gyokeres, who’s been simply unstoppable this campaign.
The 25-year-old wipes the floor with Hojlund in every single important statistic, which is no surprise considering he’s scored a whopping 36 goals in 43 matches across all competitions this season.
The dynamic forward has been truly instrumental to the way his side plays, ticking every box that a coach would look for in a modern number nine, in regards to his excellent movement, finishing, strength, and aerial dominance, as per analyst Ben Mattinson.
That said, what stands out above Hojlund is Gyokeres’ ability to create for his teammates and turn a minimal opportunity into a goal, with the assists and passing statistics proving that the Dane is way behind in that metric.
Furthermore, the former Coventry ace’s technical ability is incredible, with his dribbling and ball-carrying ability enabling him to thrive against any setup in any game state, unlike Hojlund, who has proven to be more dangerous in transition thus far in a United shirt.
Overall, the “clinical finisher,” as dubbed by Mattinson, would provide a consistent output as he serves as a reliable source of goals, and due to his complete profile, he would thrive at United either in place of or alongside Hojlund.
Leave a Reply