Pre-season preparations will take place on Monday, and although for Manchester United’s case, the transfer train has stopped, Matheus Cunha remains the only senior member this summer – excluding the £7 million teenager Diego Leon.
The key crux of the problem seems to be that the club cannot transfer “Deadwood”, with manager Ruben Amorim reportedly frustrated with stars in failure to sell Manchester United’s exiles, namely Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho, Antony and Marcus Rashford.
The quartet, along with Tyrell Malacia, was allowed to enjoy an extended break, rather than being associated with other teams, and all parties still want to lockdown and exit by next season.
The bridge seems to be burning by almost all of these high-profile figures, not Rashford, and the British still seem to dream of moving the summer to Barcelona.
If those forward lines, including 27-year-old college graduates, are shipped out, it will further increase the need for replacement. With that in mind, the potential vacancy was shown to football director Jason Wilcox.
Latest searches for Man Utd
A new name appeared this week in Manchester United’s center search, and the report indicated that contacts had been made on the action of Aston Villa Talisman, Ollie Watkins.
The 29-year-old, reportedly priced at £60m, will provide the Red Devils with a ready-made solution, scoring double-digit numbers in each of his five Premier League seasons at Villa Park.
But, as The Mirror reported, England International is not the only option for the Wilcox striker’s shortlist, and the club also considered the move of Chelsea’s Christopher Nkunku.
According to the report, Manchester United has the opportunity to sign the 27-year-old for £35m, while the former RB Leipzig man is considered the remaining demand, with Liam Delap signing with Stamford Bridge’s Joao Pedro.
As the article also points out, the prospect of swap deals involving the aforementioned Garnacho has surfaced, although the Blues are more likely to consider direct sales when seeking a balanced book.
Why Nkunku can be another Rashford for Amorim
If United aimed at Nkunku two years ago, there is no doubt that Old Trafford will be excited, with the Frenchman joining the West Londoner after registering 126 goals in just 172 games in Leipzig.
However, the man who once scored 35 goals in all matches in 2021/22 has not seen in British football, but a man who once was Paris Saint-Germain could not recover from injury on the bridge.
Nkunku hit a knee problem in the preseason in the summer of 2023, and since then, Nkunku has only started 11 Premier League games in the past two campaigns, with only six top goals in total.
A particular problem is that he cannot play a consistent role under Mauricio Pochettino and Enzo Maresca because he operates left and right, namely the 10th or Central forward to date, but has little success.
The question mark is whether he is the best range or center, which also bothers Rashford, and although Amorim previously claimed that such a role was “not the best for him”, Manchester United recently said he found himself “a more natural” game “a more natural”.
|
The Last Five UTD Season in Rashford (All Comps) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
season |
game |
Target |
Assist |
|
2024/25* |
twenty four |
7 |
3 |
|
2023/24 |
43 |
8 |
6 |
|
2022/23 |
56 |
30 |
11 |
|
2021/22 |
32 |
5 |
2 |
|
2020/21 |
57 |
twenty one |
18 |
|
*Not including the villa record |
|||
|
Statistics via Transfermarkt |
|||
Rashford, currently in trouble with the company of Portugal’s coach, hasn’t appeared in Old Trafford since sitting in the Manchester Derby in December, and his 30 Target Heroes in 2022/23 now looks like a distant memory.
Amorim and Manchester United guys don’t seem to need a £300,000 per week man, so there may be concerns that Nkunku might offer an equally expensive issue considering his own £195,000 per week salary.
Interestingly, Rashford and Nkunku are considered statistically similar players in the Premier League in 2024/25, and this similarity may be a key reason to avoid such a move.
Yes, the 2023 nkunku will be a worthwhile Watkins alternative, but contrary to one of the current ones, that’s the same for Rashford in 2023. For these two men, it seems that their best days may be behind them.
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