Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has confirmed that he wants to add a striker to his squad in the upcoming January transfer window.
Following the recent exit of Cristiano Ronaldo, United have just one senior, out-and-out striker left on their books, that being Anthony Martial. Though he has impressed under Ten Hag this term, his fitness issues have restricted him to just seven appearances in all competitions.
United have struggled to score goals at a rapid rate of knots this term and are the lowest scorers currently camped inside the Premier League's top seven, plundering just 20 goals so far. Only Chelsea have scored fewer inside the top ten (17).
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In a bid to try and solve that problem, United have been drawing up a list of possible candidates to try and add some goals to their forward line. As reported by the Manchester Evening News , United are interested in signing Napoli ace Victor Osimhen, while the likes of PSV Eindhoven star Cody Gakpo and Goncalo Ramos of Benfica continue to be heavily linked with moves to Old Trafford.
Atletico Madrid ace Joao Felix is another name gathering plenty of interest at the moment. He is being heavily linked with a move to United, such is the uncertainty surrounding his future in the Spanish capital.
Felix, who experienced the heartbreak of bowing out of the World Cup at the quarter-final stage with Portugal on Saturday, joined Atletico in July 2019 from Benfica for an astronomical £113million fee. He has failed to live up to expectation in Spain, scoring just 33 goals in 129 games for the club.
This season, the 23-year-old has scored a paltry four goals in 18 appearances. He only managed ten goals in 35 games last season, too, meaning he is far from being the prolific source of goals that United are longing for.
His record in front of goal, however, might not to be too great a surprise to himself and those of an Atletico persuasion. That is because Felix does not consider himself as a natural No.9, instead preferring to operate as a No.10, just behind a centre-forward.
"My best position is as the second forward," said Felix, speaking to The Athletic earlier this year. "Playing like a No.10, with a guy in front of me."
Felix has also been tasked with playing wide on the left-wing on occasions so far this term, meaning he is not the answer to United's goalscoring troubles. Like Gakpo, he has played as a natural striker in flashes, but it is not his specialist area.
United, if they are to start adding more goals to their overall game, need to recruit a striker with a good pedigree and history of playing as a No.9 throughout his career. They need a focal point that they can look up to at the top end of the pitch, with the support of the likes of Marcus Rashford and Antony buzzing around him.
Felix's productivity in front of goal in recent years proves he is not the answer, as talented a footballer he might be. The most prolific campaign of his career to date came during his final season at Benfica, where he notched 20 goals and registered 11 assists in 43 appearances.
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