Paul Scholes nailed it: Man United must go all out to snatch £45m-rated striker from PL rivals
Paul Scholes has said that Manchester United should sign a Premier League striker to boost their attack.
Man United’s striker situation isn’t exactly in the best position at the moment, Benjamin Sesko has been struggling for form early in his Man United career since joining in the summer. Behind Sesko, they have Joshua Zirkzee, who is yet to score yet this season.
Sesko did score his first goal of the season against Brentford, however, he has been quiet other than that, and as United sold Rasmus Hojlund to Napoli in the summer, their options aside from Sesko and Zirkzee are very limited. There is mounting pressure on manager Ruben Amorim, and with his side struggling in attack, he needs more help.
There is a chance that United could sign another striker in the January transfer window to help boost their goal scoring, but who should they go after?
Scholes is right about Jean-Philippe Mateta
In terms of potential striker options, former Man United midfielder Paul Scholes has been very vocal on the fact that he thinks they need someone like Crystal Palace target man Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Scholes said on The Good, The Bad & The Football Podcast: “I said transfer deadline last January, Man United needed a Mateta at Palace. Big, strong, leads the line, he’s a threat, causes problems. But they’re not going to buy him because he’s ‘Crystal Palace’, he doesn’t fit the bill. He’s not fashionable. He’s much better player than Sesko and he’s doing it in the Premier League.”
Mateta scored 17 goals for Palace last season, and he has already managed to net four goals in all competitions for Oliver Glasner’s side this year, and he’s on course for a 20-goal season at Selhurst Park, especially considering that Palace are in the Europa Conference League.
Why would Mateta be a great signing for Man United?
The Palace striker is the epitome of your tall, strong and fast target man striker, he is a focal point to any attack, and would provide Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo with someone to aim at, and someone to work off.
Mateta excels in holding the ball up, so it could be so simple. Cunha and Mbeumo could feed him, Mateta could then lay it off to one of the two attackers, who could either run through and score or set up the Palace star.
Man United were linked with the Frenchman in the summer transfer window, and reports suggested that he could cost around £45m if United were to make a move for him. Whether Palace would be willing to sell remains to be seen, as they lost Eberechi Eze in the summer and are expected to lose Marc Guehi in January.
However, it is certainly a move that United should consider, as he fits the mould of a proven Premier League goal scorer, much like Cunha and Mbeumo, who were viewed as excellent additions at Old Trafford; it seems a no-brainer.