Manchester United have been facing issues in front of goal since the departure of all-time legend Cristiano Ronaldo. Despite being the top scorer for the team during those times, the 5-time Ballon d’Or winner was repeatedly benched by the manager in the name of strategic moves.
Though they have signed some forwards since then to fix this issue, they have not been able to convert those chances into goals, and it has become so concerning now that even those chances are getting diminished day by day due to the lack of confidence the squad is facing. Add to that the poor defensive display by the club defenders; it screams for some change and that is what the manager might be thinking under the new era of Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Manchester United reportedly planning to sign Marcus Edwards
Reports state that the Red Devils might be thinking of going for Sporting CP’s forward Marcus Edwards, who could even be a cheaper option than all of their previous forward signings. The former Tottenham Hotspur U-23 player is professionally a left-footed right winger who is known for his dribbles and being clinical in front of goal.
He also has a really good burst of pace, which could provide a refreshing style to the Manchester United attack, provided they could sign him. According to Transfermarkt, he has already scored six goals and five assists in 26 matches for his club and those numbers are really good for a developing right winger. He could really be an upgrade of the Brazilian Winger Antony, that too at a much lower cost. According to Transfermarkt, Edwards’s current market value is about €28.00m.
Manchester United looking to bolster attack with Bayern striker
Apart from Marcus Edwards, many reports have also been stating the possibility of a surprising secret transfer move for the former PSG striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, who has not been seeing the amount of game time he thinks he deserves.
After the departure of Robert Lewandowski, Choupo-Moting gathered prominence in the team and scored 10 goals and provided 2 assists for the team under former manager Julian Nagelsmann. But under the new manager, Thomas Tuchel, after the arrival of world-class striker Harry Kane, the Cameroonian international has lost his place in the starting eleven and is usually seen warming the bench.
Therefore, a move for the transfer of Choupo-Moting to Manchester United looks really good because, in this case, it might even be that both the club and the player need each other to survive in the football world. The inspiration for that could be taken from the Barcelona-Aubameyang situation that happened in the second half of the 2020–21 season.
Although Manchester United have made many failed forward signings in recent times, including the likes of Wout Weghorst, who was signed on loan after a significant world cup spell against Argentina but failed to deliver, Brazilian Antony, who was signed permanently by the manager in hopes of reshaping the success they had together at his old club but is far off from expectations, and the big money signing Rasmus Højlund who was signed to specially replicate the situation between Erling Haaland and Manchester City, has not been able to get up to speed with the team yet.
Is Marcus Edwards the one Manchester United need to redeem themselves? Tell us in the comments section.