Fulham 0-1 Man Utd: Match review
Manchester United have taken a leaf out of Jose Mourinho’s transfer book as Erik ten Hag eyes much-needed competition for Rasmus Hojlund in January, according to reports. United are set to be active this winter to reinforce Ten Hag’s toothless attacking department, with four strikers said to be on their radar.
The Red Devils’ forwards have disappointed so far this season, contributing to a disastrous start, which involved eight defeats in 15 games ahead of Saturday’s trip to Fulham.
And Ten Hag is expected to address the situation in the January transfer window if he’s still in the Old Trafford hot seat in two months.
According to TEAMtalk, United have identified four striker targets to pursue midway through the season, three of which present experienced options.
FC Porto’s Mehdi Taremi, AS Monaco’s Wissam Ben Yedder, and Flamengo’s Gabriel Barbosa are seasoned strikers that Ten Hag has reportedly identified to aid Hojlund’s development.
But the Dutchman is also claimed to have identified a younger alternative, Santos prospect Marcos Leonardo.
The report states the 20-year-old striker, also the subject of interest from Newcastle, is valued at £20million and is expected to make the switch to Europe soon.
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According to Total Italian Football, former United boss Mourinho is, too, keen on Leonardo and wanted to sign him for AS Roma in the summer.
Roma allegedly saw a £10.4m bid rejected but could return to the frame as early as January if Mourinho retains his interest.
Leonardo is under contract at Santos until 2026 and has continued making waves in his homeland this season.
The Brazil U20 international has scored 13 goals and provided two assists in 24 appearances across the current campaign.
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Whether United will view Leonardo as an option in January remains to be seen, given Hojlund is inexperienced in the Premier League himself.
TEAMtalk add that the Red Devils would prefer to lure a more seasoned striker to Manchester in January to share the goalscoring burden and offer Hojlund wisdom.
Ten Hag wanted to sign a second, more experienced frontman alongside Hojlund in the summer, but United’s stretched budget prevented that move.
He is expected to seal a short-term fix in January, though, for the second successive year after adding Wout Weghorst on a short loan 11 months ago.
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