As soon as Erik ten Hag was appointed as Manchester United manager, he prioritised improving a leaky defence and a weak and brittle midfield.
And the signings of Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro and Christian Eriksen have certainly addressed those issues with the Red Devils just three points off fourth place with a game in hand.
The main thing holding the side back at the moment is their lack of goals. The team are currently the second-lowest scorers in the top half of the Premier League.
Gakpo the ideal ETH player
And following the acrimonious departure of last season’s top goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo, the need to sign an elite forward is the main agenda ahead of the January transfer window.
Of the innumerable names linked with a move to Old Trafford, Cody Gakpo‘s name has been constant since the summer.
The Netherlands international’s brilliant performance last season prompted Ten Hag to ask United to enquire about the versatile forward.
It’s understood that Gakpo wants to join #mufc and work under Ten Hag. [@JBurtTelegraph]
— The United Stand (@UnitedStandMUFC) December 16, 2022
The 23-year-old scored 21 times and registered 15 assists in 47 games across all competitions last season. And he is on course to surpass his tally this season.
What has been most impressive about the PSV Eindhoven star is the fact that he was close to a move in the summer but United ended up prioritising a deal for Antony which meant a deal never materialised.
Will his valuation end up deterring United?
But he never let his head drop and has already notched 13 goals and 17 assists in only 24 games so far this season. He was also the top scorer for the Dutch with three strikes in the World Cup.
And Ten Hag has mentioned the importance of character and mentality while moving for a player and Gakpo’s characteristics make him the ideal Ten Hag player.
His versatility is another factor that works for him. Predominantly a left winger, he equally excels when played up front on his own as seen during the World Cup.
The only thing holding back United at the moment is his soaring valuation to €50million after PSV decided to increase it following his Qatar heroics.
