Requires a new manager first
Potential striker targets for the summer
- Thread starter luke511
- Start date
Was abysmal for Germany in the World Cup. Spent most of his time hiding on the wings and showed nothing, although Germany were a complete mess, so who knows.
Really depends on who the manager is next year. Icardi would be perfect for Jose but might not suit someone else.
Poch bringing Kane would be the dream.
Poch bringing Kane would be the dream.
Jamie Vardy? Still a good finisher, still has good pace... clever movement... aggression. Would depend if he was willing to leave, and how much they'd want for him.
Younger options could be Hirving Lozano or Kasper Dolberg... Memphis Depay?
Younger options could be Hirving Lozano or Kasper Dolberg... Memphis Depay?
Also if we're seriously talking false 9 then tbh we should just play Martial as the CF and then go and sign top wide players like Insigne etc
Of course.
I'd almost want Diego Costa.
He's one of the most uniqe players i have seen. Has the technicality of a Brazilian, can bully defenders , could play off feet as well as target man. Absolute monster he was!!
Depends on manager. Icardi is borderline world class at what he does and would love to sign him but my bet is he goes goes to Real Madrid. We could go with lukaku still if we use him properly. As in never in big games, in a front 2 so he has someone to share the burden since he isnt good enough to do it on his own.
Icardi's good, but I can already hear the complaints about his pressing.
Mourinho seems unable to consider a striker who isn't 6ft tall or above. He cannot seem to play to a striker's strengths if that means not using a target man and throwing long balls to that focal point.
Rashford level. Not the standard we need.
And before people jump on me, Rashford would score a lot more if he was playing centre-forward every week against Bundesliga teams. Stick Werner on our left wing and you get similar outputs.
Icardi would be good but we would need to ensure he's getting service. Seems like he offers very little outside of his scoring. Seems to be very clinical though from the times I've seen him.
Agree with you that all-round strikers is a more fitting and non-time sensitive name compare to the use of the description the "modern striker". So we should try to add an all-round striker to the squad in the summer. With "modern" strikers/fullbacks/goalkeepers is usually meant the ones that are performing the best or getting accolade at that time. As of know this will be:Whats this even mean ?
There's been all-round forwards in the past and there's always going to be all-rounds players after.
Hearing/reading this modern talk alot recently here. 'Oh,Jose needs to add a modern approach' basically you're saying Jose needs to be more offensive which inst exactly 'modern' at-all.
If you go back to watching United vs Benfica in the European cup final there's not exactly a great deal difference between the playing styles of then and the playing styles of today.
The levels of dedication in fitness is the only huge noticeable element.
Not having a go at youbut I just see this soooo much round here and it's bloody odd argument starting point.
Strikers: all-round abilities.
Fullbacks: Attacking abilites. Marcelo. Alba. Dani Alves.
Goalkeepers: Good with the ball in the feet. Dave, Ederson.
Regarding the "modern approach": Think of it as a benchmark regarding how the best performing teams in the world are playing football. Can one spot similarities between how these teams play? Is there a difference with Mourinho's approach to football and the other teams approach to attacking/defending etc. You will always find the odd team that is able to be successful while having a different approach(A. Madrid), and no team will have the same setup and instructions for each player and against all teams... But one can see that the teams that are performing the best over time relies on scoring one more than the opposition rather than relying on conceding one less than the opposition(Mourinho).
Always fun with some verbal bouting. No worries.
The idea of the 'traditional centre forward' dying out is true in my opinion. False 9s or second strikers is what we have seen more and more of in recent years. The idea of a centre foward seems quite one dimensional to me now and looking at other teams having interchangeable front 3s is what i want to see at UTD. Already having Lukaku is a problem for us going down that route but the rest of our attackers plus the addition of 1 or 2 more players would be well suited to it.
I would love to see a mix of Martial, Rashford, Sanchez and Dybala/Lozano. With added squad depth in Mata and Lingard.
I would love to see a mix of Martial, Rashford, Sanchez and Dybala/Lozano. With added squad depth in Mata and Lingard.
With Sanchez, Rashford and Lukaku a no.9 shouldn't be a priority imo.
We need a proper no.10, a RW and a ball playing 6.
If we fill these positions with world class talent, we will be fine.
We need a proper no.10, a RW and a ball playing 6.
If we fill these positions with world class talent, we will be fine.
What's wrong with Mata? He's been playing well lately.
We can do better and he's not getting any younger I.e Eriksen
Mata is too slow and physically weak imo. We should target Fekir from Lyon to give us a bigger goal threat and dynamism..
The jury is still out on Rashford for me, I think he could be a good piece in a fluid front 3 that is greater than the sum of it's parts.
Likewise, I get latter day Rooney vibes from him.
I still like the idea of Martial as our long-term 9. As much as we enjoy watching him beat defenders on the dribble from the left, he's got incredible potential as a pure finisher. And he can always drift out wide if he's in the mood for his trademark takeons.
I hope we haven't given hope on Rashford yet.
I hope we haven't given hope on Rashford yet.
I hope you're right about Rashford because I doubt he'll be at united in a couple of seasons. But I hope he proves me wrong..
I think that Vardy could be a good call.
You know exactly what you are going to get with him. I do agree with those who mentioned Sanchez. I cannot believe that he has lost his class that quickly.
That said, whoever we do play, we must improve massively the service we give to our strikers.
If we continue to lump balls
Forward to a target man I don’t see point in buying anyone unless they are suited to that role.
What would be better is to work on getting better service, in Lukaku, Sanchez and Rashford we already have good enough options just need to find the right balance.
Forward to a target man I don’t see point in buying anyone unless they are suited to that role.
What would be better is to work on getting better service, in Lukaku, Sanchez and Rashford we already have good enough options just need to find the right balance.
Whoever the budget Lukaku is. If we sign a player for our forward line expect them to be similar to Lukaku for when he needs a rest.
It all depends on who the manager is, if Jose is still the manager, then expect Lukaku to still be playing. He will probably try to get wingers for both wings than replace Lukaku.
Interesting names coming up.
For me, Sanchez is an odd one. He is nothing like the player we thought we signed, shown very little since coming. So suggesting we play him out and out as our main central striker seems a little off.
I think Rashford is good enough to deputise/even lead the line when Lukaku isn't starting (or even as a 2).
With Rashford/Martial/Lukaku we have 3 good players who can play wide (more so Martial but they could interchange and be a fluid 3).
We still have an issue with RW.
Lingard/Mata also still around although both are squad players at best
For an out and out striker - the market is grim. A Cavana/Lewa would have to start every game (elite players always do, ala Ibra).
Icardi interests me, but would cost a heck of a lot.
Names like Vardy jus baffle me, he's not the answer. Dybala seems like a good player, but I just cant see it working
The interesting thing for me is how players like Zaha/Richarlison/Arnoutivic/Depay have developed into more central players after starting out wide and seem to do it well. This type of player profile would suit us better than an Icardi for me. Arnoutiv was slated when linked, but he can hold the ball up, is a nuisance, creates chances for others.
I'd say he's a good fit for Jose's style and offers that bit of hardwork and graft too.
Rashford needs to stay. RW is more of a concern for me. Missed a trick on Mahrez
For me, Sanchez is an odd one. He is nothing like the player we thought we signed, shown very little since coming. So suggesting we play him out and out as our main central striker seems a little off.
I think Rashford is good enough to deputise/even lead the line when Lukaku isn't starting (or even as a 2).
With Rashford/Martial/Lukaku we have 3 good players who can play wide (more so Martial but they could interchange and be a fluid 3).
We still have an issue with RW.
Lingard/Mata also still around although both are squad players at best
For an out and out striker - the market is grim. A Cavana/Lewa would have to start every game (elite players always do, ala Ibra).
Icardi interests me, but would cost a heck of a lot.
Names like Vardy jus baffle me, he's not the answer. Dybala seems like a good player, but I just cant see it working
The interesting thing for me is how players like Zaha/Richarlison/Arnoutivic/Depay have developed into more central players after starting out wide and seem to do it well. This type of player profile would suit us better than an Icardi for me. Arnoutiv was slated when linked, but he can hold the ball up, is a nuisance, creates chances for others.
I'd say he's a good fit for Jose's style and offers that bit of hardwork and graft too.
Rashford needs to stay. RW is more of a concern for me. Missed a trick on Mahrez
Why? We wouldn't play to his strengths, just like we don't with Lukaka. If we play to strengths, Lukaku will out score him regardless.
Lukaku, Rashford, Martial and Sanchez all capable of playing up top
Martial, Sanchez, Rashford all capable on the left
Mata on the right
Sanchez apparently does not like playing on the right and Rashford being right footed does not look as good there
Basically lets get somebody on the right with pace who can score and set things up as well - Sancho?
Martial, Sanchez, Rashford all capable on the left
Mata on the right
Sanchez apparently does not like playing on the right and Rashford being right footed does not look as good there
Basically lets get somebody on the right with pace who can score and set things up as well - Sancho?
We can test that out already with Martial Rashford and Sanchez like you said. I would love to see that sometime, looks good on paper at least.
Someone in the Roberto Firmino mould would be perfect and the archetypal Jose striker. Incredibly hard working, leads the line well, can hold up the ball, brings others into play - just a great team player. And is a good finisher.
I proposed Vardy as a potential solution, and I can see why people would have reservations... but I just remember my own reaction to us signing Teddy Sheringham, and he was brilliant for us. I'm trying to look at some of the attributes we might need, and he would tick some boxes. It would be a very price-dependent move though. To get Zaha or Richarlison (who both play from the left) we'd be spending upwards of £70m, Icardi and Dybabla would be considerably more. Arnoutivic would have been a good move in the summer, and strikes me as quite a Ferguson-like signing, but we're still talking huge money.
We could play a mix of the current group of attackers. We would definately need more bought in though as the quality in depth is poor.
It seems quite natural for folk to want to try a Sanchez who is struggling in another position, in hope of rediscovering his previously high performance levels.
The best two seasons of his career have been while playing centrally, so trying him either as the main forward or off the main forward seems quite an obvious choice just now.
Thought Sanchez looked good preseason up front when lukaku was still on World Cup rest.
I think we’r in need of a superstar player to build a team around. Or someone we think can become that.
You think of the teams at the top.
Juventus have Ronaldo
Barcelona have messi
Chelsea have hazard
Liverpool have Salah
I’d say ours is Pogba at the moment, but I think we’re in dire need of an attacker we can really rely on when we are in trouble.
You think of the teams at the top.
Juventus have Ronaldo
Barcelona have messi
Chelsea have hazard
Liverpool have Salah
I’d say ours is Pogba at the moment, but I think we’re in dire need of an attacker we can really rely on when we are in trouble.
Much like the year we signed Lukaku, there doesn't seem to be many top-level strikers going to be available. I'd rather not dump a big fee on someone once again for them to not even be the best forward at the club. Maybe try get a stop-gap like Cavani or Mandzukic, or just give Sanchez a run at ST and see how that goes.
We desperately need another threat from the RW. Mata bless his heart tries his best but as an individual with the ball isn't scary.
Rashford has the pace but not the skill. Sanchez doesn't want to play there.
Right now our LW gets all the attention, if we had another Martial on the RW they couldn't shut off both options, which is exactly why Salah gets so much room. Mane does a great job.
We should stick Lukaku there until we get someone in the summer.