Do Manchester United need to buy a striker?
By Lee Kilby
Do Manchester United need a striker? If you ask Manchester United fans that question right now most of them would say yes. Manchester United already have a world-class striker in Wayne Rooney but just because he is in somewhat of a goal drought, does Louis Van Gaal need to go out and spend £50 million on a new striker?
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There is no doubt United are lacking upfront at the moment with only two goals scored in their opening three Premier League games, and only one of them scored by a United player. In their opening game against Tottenham, United won thanks to a Kyle Walker own-goal and against Aston Villa, Adnan Januzaj scored to give United the win.
Seven points from three games is a satisfactory return, while Manchester United have yet to concede in 270 minutes of Premier League action. However it is at the other end of the pitch where they currently have an issue, two goals in three games against Tottenham, Aston Villa and Newcastle highlighting a lack of cutting edge.
In their game against Newcastle at the weekend, Van Gaal’s side put heavy pressure on Newcastle’s goal with 20 shots. Inside the first 20 minutes alone, the hosts had more shots on target – four – than they managed in their opening two league games.
Juan Mata, Rooney, Morgan Schneiderlin, and defender Luke Shaw, all had great chances but were denied by a combination of great goalkeeping from Tim Krul and poor finishing.
Rooney did put the ball in the back of the net but he was narrowly offside when he beat Krul with a fine finish in the fourth minute. It would have been the striker’s first goal for his club since April 4th.
The three players playing behind Rooney have been Memphis, Januzaj, and Mata. However I think changing their positions would benefit Rooney and create more opportunities for him in front of goal.
Januzaj has been playing in the number 10 role with Memphis on the left and Mata on the right and this needs to change. Memphis should stay on the left where he is most dangerous as he proved against Club Brugges in the Champions League. However, Mata and Januzaj should switch positions to increase creativity.
Mata’s preferred position is the number 10 role and when he is played out wide he drifts inside which leaves too much space out wide and makes United vulnerable to a counter-attack. Mata does a solid job for United out wide as he proved last season, but switching his position will almost certainly help United create more chances. The switch would also give Januzaj much more space out wide where he can utilize his pace.
If Van Gaal does decide to buy another striker before the transfer window closes, who are his options? When you think of the best strikers in the world, how many of them would actually be available? Most of them are tied to long contracts or already play for some of the biggest teams in the world.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic could be a good option, some rumors have suggested he wants to leave PSG and having never played in the Premier league, a move to United could be a good option for him.
Another striker who could potentially be available for the right price is West Brom striker Saido Berahino. Berahino has been the subject of a rejected bid from Tottenham but this could be a great deal if United could get him for £20-25 million.
When Rooney starts scoring again he will get his confidence back but in the meantime, United need to sign another striker. If Rooney gets injured at any point during the season, United would be seriously lacking upfront as they would only have Javier Hernandez and James Wilson as their available strikers. For United to be title contenders, another option at striker is an absolute necessity.
Manchester United vs Newcastle game stats via Sports Matrix