Manchester United’s forward line has massively struggled in recent months, lacking quality despite huge investment from the club’s hierarchy over the last few years.
Over the summer, former boss Erik ten Hag forked out £36.5m for the services of Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna – with real expectations on the Dutchman to provide the goods in attacking areas.
However, the 23-year-old hasn’t made the impact he would have wanted, scoring just three times in 21 appearances, an average of once every seven matches.
As a result, it’s only seen the Red Devils score 19 times in 15 matches, with seven of the goals coming in the four games since Ruben Amorim’s appointment last month.
Such a worrying tally could see the new manager dip into the transfer market during January, with one player already on their radar and providing an upgrade on the current crop of options at Old Trafford.
Man United targeting move for £115m PL star
According to Football Insider, United could be planning a move for Newcastle United talisman Alexander Isak in the next few months to try and bolster their attacking unit.
The 25-year-old is just one option on a shortlist ahead of January that includes Viktor Gyokeres and Victor Osimhen, but the Toon ace would cost the club a pretty penny if they were to make a move for his services.
He was a man in demand over the summer, with Arsenal and Chelsea targeting the Swede, but were quoted a massive fee in the region of £115m to complete a deal.
The report claims that Amorim’s side will be targeting a new striker despite the addition of Zirkzee during the off-season, with Dušan Vlahović another name mentioned over a move.
There’s no denying Isak would be a huge addition and one that would improve the options currently on the books in the North West, including one player who’s desperately lacking confidence in recent months.
Why Isak would be an upgrade on Rashford for United
Marcus Rashford is a player who’s known to succeed when having bags of confidence, but when he doesn’t, the attacker often fails to impress.
His quality was evident in 2022/23, scoring 30 times in all competitions – the most of his career, but he’s since struggled to replicate such form over the last two years.
The 27-year-old has scored three times since Amorim’s arrival, but it might not be enough to secure his regular starting role at Old Trafford, with Isak providing an upgrade on the Englishman.
The Newcastle talisman outperformed him in the Champions League last season, a spell that saw him be compared to one of Europe’s leading talents in Kylian Mbappé by FBref.
When delving into their respective figures from the competition, it’s clear to see how much of a stellar addition he would be for the Red Devils, potentially becoming Amorim’s star man should he move.
Isak vs Mbappé & Rashford in the UCL (2023/24) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Statistics (per 90) | Isak | Mbappé | Rashford |
Games played | 5 | 12 | 4 |
Goals & assists | 1 | 8 | 2 |
Shot-on-target accuracy | 50% | 48% | 33% |
Goals per shot on target | 0.33 | 0.22 | 0 |
Pass accuracy | 80% | 80% | 79% |
Aerials won | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.9 |
Fouls won | 1.4 | 1 | 0.3 |
Stats via FBref | |||
Isak scored more goals than the United forward, also registering a higher shot-on-target rate than the Englishman and the current Real Madrid talisman.
Whilst £115m may be a huge fee, the striker’s talent is there for all to see, as demonstrated by his tally of 37 Premier League goals since joining the Magpies in 2022 – outscoring the current United star by five during the same time period.
Any deal would likely be a club record, but he would be worth every penny, giving the new manager every chance of being a success during his time at Old Trafford.
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