3 strikers Manchester United missed out on the in January transfer window
Manchester United’s quest for a striker should have begun last summer when the Red Devils allowed both Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku to leave the club. Instead, the club allowed both players to leave without bringing in replacements. The Chilean will be back at Old Trafford at the end of the season when his loan deal expires, but the Belgian’s departure caught United red-faced in the middle of the season.
The Red Devils decided not to replace Lukaku, with Ole Gunnar Solskjær preferring to trust the trio of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood to come up with the goals. However, while Rashford has been superb, his injured laid bare United’s lack of back-up in the attacking line.
In such a scenario, January represented an opportunity for Solskjær to rectify the mistake of the summer. Manchester United were linked with a host of goalscorers for the entire span of the month but failed to lure any big name to Old Trafford by the end of the transfer window.
Instead, the Red Devils opted for Odion Ighalo as a failsafe option, a move that does come with a degree of risk. But who are the top 3 strikers United missed out on in January? Read on to find out
#3. Edinson Cavani
Manchester United have been tracking Edinson Cavani for quite some time and there have been unconfirmed reports that the Uruguayan was eager to play in the Premier League too. Because United were missing a true goalscorer of his caliber, it was only natural that by the start of January, United were linked with the Uruguayan once again.
The fact that Cavani was on the final 6 months of his contract with the French champions at that time did give United fans a lot of hope. However, it was Atlético Madrid who submitted an official bid for the player, which was ultimately rejected by PSG.
The La Liga side are expected to return in the summer and get their man for free. As such, it is clear that the month of January was an opportunity for the Red Devils to steal a march on their rivals. Cavani would have been a fantastic player to lead the line for the Red Devils and his experience would have been priceless for the young strikers in the squad.
Unfortunately, United failed to convince the Uruguayan to come to Old Trafford. Cavani apparently has his heart set on a move to Spain and it is highly unlikely that the Red Devils will secure his signature in the summer.
Also Read: 3 Talking Points from Manchester United's winter transfer window