In short, Manchester United have massively underperformed this campaign.
Erik ten Hag’s side are eighth in the Premier League, with only Burnley and Sheffield United scoring fewer goals. That's despite the addition of Rasmus Hojlund, a man brought to the club for a whopping fee of £72m.
With that in mind, the Red Devils must simply look to bolster their attack in the January transfer window, with a centre forward on their wish list.
Man Utd transfers latest – The battle for a centre forward
According to Football Transfers, Man United are set to battle Aston Villa for the signature of Jonathan David during the January market.
The Lille forward is looking to make the next step in his career, and a move to the Premier League is on his bucket list.
However, the move would be permanent, which could price United out of a move this winter if departures don’t occur as a result of their financial fair play situation.
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ByLuke RandallFeb 1, 2024 How Jonathan David compares to Anthony Martial
Anthony Martial’s Man United career has seen quality amongst numerous injury setbacks, which have ultimately prevented him from becoming a key player for prolonged periods.
Last season, the France forward missed 27 matches due to five different injuries, and with his contract expiring this summer, Ten Hag may look to banish him this winter to raise some funds.
The money raised could be put aside for the potential transfer of David, who is a key player for Lille. The Canadian hasn’t been at his best this season, scoring five goals in 17 Ligue 1 appearances, but he has shown signs of improvement recently, scoring in three of his last five league matches.
Nonetheless, the table below shows David’s statistics from the last year across the top European leagues and how he compares to positional peers.
Goals
0.57
Top 18%
Assists
0.03
Bottom 89%
Shots total
2.41
Bottom 63%
Pass completion %
80.9%
Top 8%
Progressive passes received
8.35
Top 7%
Shot-creating actions
2.99
Top 22%
As you can see, the 23-year-old is an extremely technical centre forward who can thrive in any game state due to his ability with the ball at his feet. This would suit Ten Hag’s side as they often dominate the ball against lesser opposition but wait for counterattacks against better teams.
The Canadian can be used as a target man by playing the ball directly to him, as well as a modern striker who can run in behind, which would help United turn attack into defence quickly, using Andre Onana’s pinpoint long passes to their advantage. The forward would also retain the ball, ensuring that his side mantains control, as displayed via his high pass completion percentage.
However, most importantly, David knows how to put the ball in the back of the net. The striker is a proven goal scorer, and it was only last season that he netted 24 goals in 37 Ligue 1 matches. This type of reliable centre-forward has been missing this season at the Red Devils, with the young Hojlund only netting once in 15 Premier League games so far.
The former Gent ace would provide a different approach to the 20-year-old, who often plays on the fringe of the game, as shown by the fact that the United starlet ranks in the bottom 86% of strikers for passes attempted in the league.
United’s lack of goals has held them back this season, particularly considering Onana has the joint most clean sheets. David, therefore, would improve the attack immensely not just through his goals, but he would also take the pressure off Hojlund, who is visibly frustrated with his lack of output.
t’s clear that Ten Hag would be making a mistake by not attempting to sign “one of the best strikers in the world," as dubbed by media personality Tony Marinaro.