03 November 2023 , 00:20
1128
0
Manchester United look set to revive their transfer 'Plan B' as they desperately attempt to resolve their scoring issues.
The Red Devils have registered just 11 goals in the Premier League so far this season, with star summer signing Rasmus Hojlund failing to find the back of the net in the top-flight. As a result of their dreadful form in front of goal, United are now looking to recruit reinforcements.
Boss Erik ten Hag previously went on a recruitment search for a forward in the summer, eventually settling on Hojlund. But the Dane has failed to live up to his £72million price tag, prompting club chiefs to consider bringing in extra help in the winter window.
According to the Daily Mail, three players are so far on their January shortlist. Brentford striker Ivan Toney, Porto star Mehdi Taremi and Napoli's Victor Osimhen are the trio currently on Ten Hag's shopping list.
A move for Taremi would mark a desperate return to a Plan B for the Red Devils. They previously eyed a deal for him in the summer transfer window, when they were considering Hojlund.
Marcel Sabitzer completes Man Utd transfer after last-minute deadline day dash
Atalanta had rebuffed a cash-plus-player swap deal for the Danish international and instead held out for a straight cash move. With Ten Hag keen to bring in a striker as soon as possible, leading them to Taremi, though they were eventually able to agree a deal for Hojlund.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Who should be Manchester United's top target in the January window? Comment below.
Manchester United are eyeing a move for Mehdi Taremi, who they targeted in the summer (Getty Images)Now their interest has been reignited, with Taremi having impressed in Portugal, scoring 80 goals in 160 appearances for Porto. He scored twice against England at the World Cup last year, though with the Iranian now 31, he is not a long-term solution.
Resurrecting a move for Taremi, who is out of contract at Porto at the end of the season, would be the latest in a line of stop-gap signings up-front. Edinson Cavani, Odion Ighalo and Wout Weghorst have all previously filled that role, to mixed success.
Cavani enjoyed a promising first season, but his second was wrecked by injury, while both Ighalo and Weghorst proved not to be up to the task. Ten Hag has demanded more from his strikers, with the Dutchman craving reinforcements in January.
"We are not consistently in position at the level we can be where we show in games we can be. We should do this on a consistent basis, but pressing we’re quite good, we have the most ball regains from the whole Premier League, the most middle regains in the whole Premier League, our defending and pressing organisation, that is us," he said last week.
"But we don’t take the benefit in the attacking transition moments, we have the ability in our teams to take benefits from it. This is how to grow and progress and the games will become more easy. The cooperation has to click.
"We showed this week in the week some examples where there are so many we have overload positions, going in overload position to the opponent goal and we don’t net or don’t even hit the target. We don’t have time to train this."