Kenan Yildiz chases the ball while playing for Juventus
Kenan Yildiz looks like a talent for the future but a move to Manchester United this summer may come too soon
Manchester United desperately need new attackers this summer as Ruben Amorim looks to solve the Reds' goalscoring issues.
United have only managed to net 37 goals in their 29 Premier League matches this season, with forwards Rasmus Hojlund, Joshua Zirkzee and Alejandro Garnacho contributing a mere 23 goals for the Reds in all competitions. The struggles in attack have contributed to United's current lowly league standing of 13th.
Recent reports via our colleagues at The Express have claimed that United are interested in Juventus forward Kenan Yildiz and could make a move for the winger this summer. Yildiz was among the top 20 Golden Boy award nominees for 2024, the same shortlist Hojlund was on a year earlier.
The 19-year-old has started 22 Serie A matches this term, playing in various roles, including on either wing and behind the striker as a No 10. He also featured regularly in the Champions League and has scored six goals in all competitions, adding four assists.
But while building a team for the future sounds good on paper, it is full of pitfalls for a club of United's size. The pressures of playing at Old Trafford have already looked to have eaten up Hojlund's confidence.
The Denmark international may have ended his long-standing goal drought after scoring against Leicester City, but there remain serious question marks over his suitability for a team of United's ambition. That's not necessarily all on the 22-year-old.
Hojlund should be an understudy at M16 for a more experienced striker. United's No.9 shouldn't be a young footballer who needs to carry the Reds' main goal threat.
Rasmus Hojlund has struggled for goals at Manchester United (Image: PA)
Yildiz may not have the same expectations put on him if he joined, but with four years left on his Juventus contract, United will need to pay big money to secure a deal. Such a scenario seems unlikely with the Reds' current PSR restraints, but if they were to sign him, that would put the Turkish teenager under immense pressure from day one.
It's a level of expectation which has crippled Hojlund at times. The warning signs were already there, though, from a player who scored just nine goals in Italy's Serie A while playing for Atalanta in a lesser-quality league.
Whatever the Reds do in the transfer market this summer, they cannot afford to repeat previous errors. The worry will be that turning to more young talent like Yildiz may only set Amorim's team back further at a club where patience wears thin.
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