Manchester United have three obvious positions to strengthenplaceholder image
Manchester United have three obvious positions to strengthen | Getty Images
Man Utd had a clearout in the summer but did they mess up by not signing a striker who is on fire in the Premier League?
Manchester United’s summer was focused almost entirely on moving on the players who Ruben Amorim had declared surplus to requirements.
The Red Devils boss was faced with five players demanding to leave the club, for a variety of reasons they had fallen out with the manager or were simply not providing value for money in terms of either wages or for the exorbitant transfer fees that were paid for their services. Marcus Rashford’s positive start at Barcelona must be frustrating for the Old Trafford hierarchy, the talent has never really been questioned but the England international just didn’t seem to want to put the work in that Amorim was demanding.
Man Utd signed the wrong striker in Benjamin Sesko
The exodus has resulted in a new-look forward line with £74m signing Benjamin Sesko leading the attack. With two goals in eight appearances so far, the Slovenia international is yet to really catch fire with a series of ok, if not spectacular performances so far. What the 6ft 5inch tall striker needs is supply which means that Amorim needs to tweak how United plays, however, he wouldn’t need to make adjustments if he had given the green light to sign another striker who is lighting up the Premier League at another club.
At the same age, 23, Nick Woltemade cost Newcastle United £5m less in terms of the total deal and almost £10m less in terms of the initial payment made to Stuttgart. With 17 goals in 33 games for the German outfit, he also scored more goals than Sesko last season in what was a breakthrough year for a player who had been largely unfancied and left Werder Bremen on a free transfer the summer before.
After starring for Germany Under-21's at the European Championships, a big move seemed certain only for a series of clubs to look elsewhere. Bayern Munich had agreed personal terms only for the Bundesliga champions to fail to agree a fee. With four goals in six games across the Premier League and Champions League, Woltemade has made the sort of impression that United hoped Sesko would.
Why Man United should have signed Nick Woltemade instead of Benjamin Sesko
The biggest difference between the two towering strikers is a simple one. If Sesko isn’t given ammunition, he won’t be seen, compared to Woltemade who has the ability to link play, drop deep and create space and opportunities for his teammates. One player who is appreciating this already is Anthony Gordon: “I think they do play a very similar style of football,” Gordon said about Woltemade being compared to Harry Kane during a press conference at St George's Park.
“In terms of they want to almost be like the quarterback, they want to come in and create, they don't just want to finish the chances like a typical striker would do. The amount of assists Harry has got over the past couple of years and over his career is outstanding and, for me personally, I think it helps me because my style suits playing with that style of striker because I can run off them. If defenders want to go and engage with them, I can run off the back, so I think it is really positive for me and I really enjoy it.”
The clear-out this summer and the money spent on Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo is a reminder that money is rarely the problem at United, it is how the money is spent and who it is spent on with the recruitment team once again looking like they have made the wrong call on a 50/50 decision.
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