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Sesko | Getty Images
Man United still have a lot of work to do in the transfer market, could a veteran striker help their cause?
From the day that Ruben Amorim set foot in Old Trafford it seemed like destiny that Viktor Gyokeres would become a Manchester United player.
Man United need more strikers
Amorim was clearly frustrated at the hand he was dealt, even if he was more than culpable himself in terms of his stubbornness to adapt his philosophy to his squad and the Premier League when it became clear that it wasn’t going to work consistently. What he can’t be accused of is not giving Sesko a chance with the Red Devils boss sticking up for the towering striker, via BBC Sport: "Ben is a young kid, a control freak," said Amorim.
"He wants to control everything - and he's not going to control everything. He has more potential than I was thinking [but] we need to understand how he likes to play and also to put in our ideas. I'm quite relaxed with that. He is going to be our striker for the long term but he's going to have these struggles and these bumps during the ride. That is a normal thing in football."
Amorim was right with his idea of signing an experienced striker too and what might have worked, given how similarly they play, is picking up Dominic Calvert-Lewin on a free transfer. Leeds United gambled and it has paid off, but United have been given a second chance to land a veteran with a proven goalscoring record. Even on a short-term deal it could be one that pays off, and if it doesn’t, the summer transfer window should be used to strengthen.
With his West Ham United contract set to be ripped up, Callum Wilson is attracting interest from several other Premier League clubs and United could offer him the chance to fulfil an ambition that would be a fitting end to a career that should have delivered more, but for injuries.
At one point, Wilson was Harry Kane’s understudy, capable of linking play, bullying defenders and of scoring goals. The 33-year old might not quite be at that level anymore, but he has the same number of goals as Sesko with nowhere near the same number of minutes.
Why Wilson could fire United to European football
Wilson, who has 92 Premier League goals, would also be highly motivated, recently claiming that he still has a target or two to reach this season and that he is still looking to earn a place in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad: “Personal targets that I want to achieve in terms of what’s happened over the last few years, not playing as much as I like, games I want to be involved in and how many that is and being available. There’s a World Cup coming up. I still, in my head, will believe until the final squad that if I have a run of games, I can put my best foot forward.
“The last time we went to the World Cup, I’d written there about that. Everyone said, ‘Oh, what are you doing in the winter break when the World Cup’s coming?’ My journal says I’m going to the World Cup. Because some people think I’m deluded. That’s the problem.
“When you actually believe in yourself so much, people think you’re borderline delusional. But there’s people that have been with me throughout my career that have seen me say something and I’ve then done it. I achieve these things. And every time I get written off, I’ve come back from it.”
Many thought that Calvert-Lewin was done and he has proved the doubters wrong, why can’t Wilson do the same?
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