Manchester United will be hoping they can turn around their hot form against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday afternoon. The Red Devils have been in terrible form, winning just one of their last five games in all competitions.
While the road to their big rivals and the team currently leading the Premier League seems like a daunting task, it is not out of the question that they can win. After all, they beat Manchester City away from home five games ago.
If United lose, the misery will simply continue to pile on. It might not be long before Reuben Amorim‘s turn to the transfer market for a new addition.
Man United’s reported January target
Unsurprisingly with a club like United, transfer rumors have already started pouring in, even though the January window is only a few days old. One of the players who has been linked to Old Trafford is the Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic.
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According to a report by journalist Enrico Camelispeaking on Italian radio station Radio Lo Sport, United could try to make a move for the Serbian striker. He believes that ‘the idea is plausible’, but there would be a catch.
In order for the 24-year-old to transfer the Old Lady to the Red Devils, United striker Joshua Zirkzee would have to take a different route. Camelio explained that ‘there is an idea of a swap’ between the two clubs, which would see the Dutchman reunited with his former head coach at Bologna, Thiago Motta.
It is unclear at this stage where the money would also be involved in the deal. That being said, Juve could make up some ground 66.6 million pounds they spent on the Serbian back in January 2022 when they bought him from Fiorentina.
Why Vlahović would be a good signing
It’s been quite a successful season for Juventus’ number nine so far. The Serbian has scored 12 goals and has two assists in 22 games in all competitions, including seven goals in Serie A and four in five Champions League games so far.
His record for Juve as a whole is quite impressive. IN 123 games for the Italian gianthe has 53 goals and 11 assists. On average, every second appearance gets a goal. That goes along with his 49 goals in 108 games for Fiorentina.
|
Vlahović’s statistics by clubs |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Stat |
Partizan Belgrade |
Fiorentina |
Juventus |
|
Games |
27 |
108 |
123 |
|
minute |
528 |
7084 |
9005 |
|
Objectives |
3 |
49 |
53 |
|
Assists |
1 |
8 |
11 |
|
G/A per game |
0.14 |
0.52 |
0.52 |
|
Statistics from Transfermarkt |
|||
His best season in Turin came in the 2023/24 season. The 354 thousand pounds per week the forward scored 16 goals and registered three assists in 33 Serie A games.
On the face of it, this is exactly what United need from their striker. That is, a real goal scorer who knows where the five are. It is simply something that they did not have this term.
However, this job could become even more attractive to the Red Devils faithful once the comparisons between Vlahovic and their legendary striker, Robin van Persie, are withdrawn. When set up, it’s clear that they are similar players.
The Dutchman was one of the best strikers of his generation, and for United he was simply unstoppable. Van Persie scored 58 goals and 15 assists in 105 appearances for the club.
Arguably his best moment in that famous red shirt was his title-winning hat trick in 2012/13, Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season. In that campaign, the Dutchman scored 26 times in 38 games.
He is one of the cleanest goal scorers in the club’s history, and there are similarities with Vlahović. They were pointed out football scout Ben Mattinsonwho listed some of their shared attributes, including their “killer left foot”, before explaining that he “could easily be talking about Van Persie or Vlahovic”.
Indeed, the fact that both players are left-handed, physically dominant players who have a strong ability to hit the ball is a frightening similarity. There is no doubt that United fans would love to see Amorim sign their version of their legendary striker.
“Monstrous” centre-forward, as Mattinson described Vlahovićhe could be the man who should help United back to the top. It’s been a poor run of form, but bringing in the Serbian striker this month could turn their fortunes around.
