The only United player to reach double digits in goals (17) was Marcus Rashford, who played on the wings or in the center. This indicates that the team struggled to find a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, who left Old Trafford in November of last year.
Hag is currently without a productive number nine who can be a reliable striker alongside Rashford in the final third. The Portuguese superstar scored 18 league goals, making him the team’s leading goalscorer, in 21/22 and ten.
At Manchester United, who could step in for Cristiano Ronaldo?
By clinching a deal to sign Dusan Vlahovic from Juventus this summer, United’s head coach may finally discover the ideal successor to Ronaldo’s throne at the number nine position.
The only United player to reach double digits in goals (17) was Marcus Rashford, who played on the wings or in the centre. This indicates that the team struggled to find a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo, who left Old Trafford in November of last year.
Hag is currently without a productive number nine who can be a reliable striker alongside Rashford in the final third. The Portuguese superstar scored 18 league goals, making him the team’s leading goalscorer, in 21/22 and ten.
At Manchester United, who could step in for Cristiano Ronaldo?
By clinching a deal to sign Dusan Vlahovic from Juventus this summer, United’s head coach may finally discover the ideal successor to Ronaldo’s throne at the number nine position.
Only 18 months after moving to the Italian team from local rivals Fiorentina for £66 million, he is reportedly a transfer target for the Premier League’s biggest clubs and is expected to be available for a cost in the neighbourhood of €90 million (£77 million).
The Serbian international scored ten goals in 27 Serie A appearances for the 23-year-old goal scorer during the 2022–23 season, although the talented forward only just managed to slightly outperform his xG of 9.73.
Whilst that return was still more than any United player outside of Rashford produced last term, Vlahovic did not live up to the standards he set for himself in the previous two campaigns.
The former Fiorentina hotshot racked up 24 goals in 36 league matches in 2021/22 after an equally impressive 21 strikes in 37 Serie A games the season before that.
These returns are particularly outstanding when you factor in that no Manchester United player has scored more than 18 league goals in a season since Robin van Persie struck 26 times in 2012/13.
Vlahovic, who was once hailed as “incredibly prolific” by scout Jacek Kulig, has the potential to be a goalscoring machine for the Red Devils, despite a dip in form over the last year, in the same way that Ronaldo was before his move to Saudi Arabia.
Ten Hag is clearly in the market for a marquee no.9 and Vlahovic’s returns in two of the last three seasons indicate that he would be exactly what the manager is looking for.