Manchester United’s thrilling last-minute victory over Fulham on Sunday was wildly celebrated by the fans but it once again laid bare the need to recruit in the attacking department.
United’s options on that day included a struggling Anthony Elanga and Alejandro Garnacho, who ended up scoring the winner with practically the last kick of the game.
But Erik ten Hag cannot continue to work miracles with so few options. Antony and Jadon Sancho have missed quite a few recent games due to one reason or the other.
Ronaldo out
In terms of strikers, Marcus Rashford remains the club’s top scorer this season but he has been wastefulness on a number of occasions.
Anthony Martial has one of the best goals per minute ratios in Europe but injuries have restricted him to only two starts in the Premier League so far.
🚨 Manchester United line up stunning £150m replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo – his name is Kylian Mbappe pic.twitter.com/YCGAHXQyKJ
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) November 15, 2022
And after the shocking interview Cristiano Ronaldo gave to Piers Morgan, in which he attacked the club and the manager, it is most likely that Ronaldo will not be donning the United jersey ever again.
And that has necessitated a move for a goal-scorer in January if United are to maintain their progress and ensure Champions League qualification for next season.
Now, David McDonnell of the Daily Mirror has come out with an outrageous scoop in which he has mentioned that United have identified Kylian Mbappe as the perfect replacement for the outgoing Ronaldo.
“Manchester United have accelerated their plans to replace Cristiano Ronaldo – with France superstar Kylian Mbappe having emerged as a shock target,” he wrote in his report.
Mbappe in
The report mentions that United are soon to jettison the Portuguese from the club and that the club’s initial plan was to go after a top striker next summer but those plans have now been accelerated and a solution will be explored in January.
“Paris St Germain striker and France World Cup winner Mbappe has emerged as a potential target to replace Ronaldo, with United possessing the financial might to pay the £150million-plus transfer fee to land him,” the report adds.
The article also goes on to mention that the Red Devils are among the few elite European clubs who can afford to pay the French World Cup-winner wages in excess of £500,000-a-week, the same wages as Ronaldo.
Take this news with a pinch of salt especially knowing how the Glazers operate. They are unlikely to sanction such an exorbitant spending in January especially after the summer splurge.
Most likely a back-up cut-price option will be explored for the time being before focus shifts on a high-profile target in the summer.
While Mbappe does represent the kind of player the Glazers value, a superstar who can sell shirts, Ten Hag will have the final say on transfers.
