Manchester United have been on a mission in the ongoing summer transfer window, and this is something that is quite visible in how the Premier League heavyweights signed Matheus Cunha already and have been moving quite aggressively to bring in another player to support the Brazilian ace. And while Viktor Gyokeres remains a primary target for the role at M16, Crystal Palace ace Jean-Philippe Mateta has also been regarded as a possible target.
The thing is that we saw how the crack at Old Trafford looked toothless last season, and Ruben Amorim wouldn’t want to go into another campaign with under-par offensive players on his roster. And this is where United’s links with a move for Bryan Mbeumo also make sense.
The club were also moving quite aggressively to bring in Liam Delap, and for a long time it did look like Manchester United would win the race for his signature; the Man City academy graduate eventually opted to sign for and now United have been forced to consider alternatives.
It’s the same with Gyokeres; the Swede striker prefers a move to Arsenal, and while this is nowhere near its conclusive stages, it does look like United will have to prefer a move for someone else, and this makes Mateta a more ideal option with every passing day…
How can Jean-Philippe Mateta fit into Ruben Amorim’s system at M16?
Will Manchester United secure the signature of Crystal Palace’s 27-year-old striker Jean-Philippe Mateta to bolster their attack?
Rúben Amorim deploys more of a 3-4-3 / 3-4-2-1 structure at United, and this structure has a lot of emphasis on quick vertical transitions whilst playing with narrow attacking triangles, and it does need a number nine that has the capacity to occupy opponents’ centre-backs whilst link play and pressing from the front.
And Mateta fits in as a classic target forward who pins defences and creates space for runners (e.g., Cunha, Bruno) and holds up the ball while connecting the sequences with inside forwards.
He would be a reliable passing outlet from the goalkeeper when United face pressure, and he’d offer a serious threat in the box (especially from crosses and low cutbacks).
Strengths
Mateta brings others into play with his hold-up ability, and this allows midfield
To play in a more advanced role. And moreover, he offers that high threatening aerial presence from the set pieces and has that dominance in cross situations.
Moreover, he has shown that he possesses those poacher instincts to capitalise on chaos inside the box.
Mateta also has a decent engine, and he can press in Amorim’s compact structure.
More importantly, he’d be more of an instant plug-and-play option with no adaptation period given his experience in the Premier League.
Manchester United are eyeing Crystal Palace star Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Weaknesses
Mateta is neither an elite dribbler nor a carrier, and that means he will not create his own shots from deep like Gyokeres. And then he has quite limited flexibility, given how he can only exclusively play as a central nine that doesn’t stretch wide or rotate well.
He also will not drop into midfield or play those passes into the channels. He widens the play but is not a consistent creator with channel balls.
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Author Opinion
Now I know that Jean-Philippe Mateta is not your Gyokeres, Osimhen, or Sesko-type rebuild striker but he has the capacity to take on at key squad role at Old Trafford given how he fits into the system that Ruben Amorim has deployed at M16 and how he has that capacity to play as a physically dominant striker.