Manchester United in line to sign 'the next Thierry Henry' to ease striking woes: report
Manchester United are looking to bring in a forward compared to Thierry Henry, as Erik ten Hag intends to improve his forward line
Manchester United are looking to sign a player compared to Premier League legend, Thierry Henry, as Erik ten Hag reshapes his tired attack.
It's been a tough start to the season for the Red Devils who have lost five of their opening 10 league fixtures and already picked up two defeats in the Champions League. Ten Hag's side have struggled for goals, with Marcus Rashford, Rasmus Hojlund and Antony netting just once between them in the Premier League.
With Hojlund still working his way up to full fitness, Ten Hag could be exploring a move for another forward to ease the burden for the young Dane, as Manchester United look to bring in star quality.
Italian outlet Calciomercato claims that AC Milan forward Rafael Leao is being targeted in a big-money move that could transform fortunes at Old Trafford.
The Portuguese superstar rose to prominence in I Rossoneri's Scudetto-winning campaign the season before last from the left flank, showing the kind of poise and power that led the likes of Fabio Capello and Stefano Pioli to compare him with Thierry Henry.
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There have been plenty interested in the tall, strong forward since, including Manchester City and Chelsea – but though Leao signed a new contract last season, things may not all be well at the San Siro.
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The 24-year-old has been criticised for his lack of impact in big games and was recently taken off in favour of Luka Jovic during a clash with Napoli with the score poised at 2-2. Leao was said to be understandably unhappy with the decision, with the report claiming that he could reconsider a future that seemed rock solid.
Milan only qualified for the Champions League by the skin of their teeth last term, finishing fourth in the table following Juventus's points deduction.
Leao is valued at €90m by Transfermarkt.
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Ex-Manchester United captain Roy Keane labelled his old club "embarrassing" in the wake of the defeat to Manchester City.
And Keane's former teammate Gary Neville made a similar assessment of Antony's aggressive substitute appearance.
Meanwhile, Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Man United's prospective takeover "is set to accelerate quickly".
Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.