Man United have been linked with a move for £40m-rated striker Jean-Philippe Mateta from Crystal Palace, and a former Red Devils star believes it would be a deal worth pursuing
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Jean-Philippe Mateta of Crystal Palace
Jean-Philippe Mateta of Crystal Palace has been linked with a move to Manchester United
(Image: Charlotte Wilson/Offside via Getty)
Manchester United have been told Jean-Philippe Mateta would be a good signing for the club, despite Wayne Rooney insisting the striker would actually thrive at Arsenal.
The 27-year-old has been in fine form for Crystal Palace after scoring 12 goals in the Premier League so far this season. United are reportedly set to enter the market for a new No. 9 during the summer, with both Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee struggling to find the net on a regular basis, and have been directly linked with a move for Mateta.
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The former Mainz man is said to be valued at around £40million and ex-United goalkeeper Ben Foster believes it would be a deal worth pursuing. Foster, who played at Old Trafford for five years between 2005 and 2010, also called on his old club to be more pragmatic in their style of play as the Red Devils are currently languishing in 14th in the table.
"They need somebody like Mateta," the former England and Wrexham shot-stopper said on the Fozcast podcast. "I think it's so important nowadays to have a big Plan B, because Man United's Plan A isn't working. They'd have to change the way they play.
"This is where the snobbery comes into it for me because Man United will be still hanging their hat on the fact that they're Man United, saying 'We've got history and we do things properly'. You've got to do whatever you have to do to win games, it's as simple as that.
"Look at Palace's record - they win games because they're effective. They know how to use the players that they've got to win games, whereas I think Man United still go, 'No, we can outplay people'. You can't outplay people because you haven't got the players."
Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta shoots wide beyond Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana
Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta shoots wide beyond Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana
(Image: James Gill - Danehouse)
He added: "Every opponent you come up against has got a style and a way of playing football that gets them results and Man United haven't got that." Despite Foster's assertions, United scouts reportedly feel that Mateta is the perfect forward to thrive as a lone frontman in Ruben Amorim's favoured 3-4-2-1 formation.
However, United legend Rooney thinks the striker should be considered by Arsenal due to the large number of crosses Mikel Arteta's side deliver into the penalty area. "Jean-Philippe Mateta is a big, strong lad who scores a lot of goals," Rooney recently told BBC Sport.
"From watching Arsenal over the past few games in the Premier League, they have put a lot of balls into the box without having anyone to get on the end of them. I am sure he would help from that point of view."
Despite the interest from several top Premier League sides, former Watford striker Troy Deeney has argued that Mateta is 'not good enough' to play for United. When asked if he would be a positive addition, Deeney told talkSPORT: "No, because he's not the answer for Palace. So why is he going to be the answer for Manchester United?
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"I think Jean is a very good player, by the way. But he's a very good player at Crystal Palace. I was a very good player at Watford. Going to the levels of these big clubs is completely different. The only thing that plays into his favour is they kind of play a similar formation with Palace at the moment, where he's the lead one through the middle.
"But I would argue that Palace's No. 10s are better than what Manchester United have got currently. So I think he's going through a good vein of form because Palace are in a good moment. No one was saying they should have signed him in pre-season."
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