5 players Manchester United should sign this summer
By Harvey Cruz
1. Mario Mandzukic
Classic number 9 forwards are a dying breed in today’s game. The target forward is now remodeled by a more fluid and direct striker. When Zlatan Ibrahimovic played for United, he was the main target to head long balls for guys like Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard to latch onto.
With Zlatan in MLS, Lukaku has had to fill that role. He’s done so pretty well, but he’s more suited to getting into the box and heading balls into the net, not heading balls down to start attacks. Rashford was seen as a perfect replacement for Ibrahimovic, but is more suited to the wing. Same goes for Sanchez, whose days as a false-9 are long gone.
However, Mourinho likes his tall strikers and Mandzukic would suit him to a tee. Reports out of Italy suggest Juventus are willing to do a swap deal involving the Croatian, with either Pogba or Matteo Darmian going to Turin.
At 32 years old, he’s lost some pace from his days at Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid. But at Juventus, he’s excelled as a target winger under Massimiliano Allegri. Hard-working, he puts tackles in and does a decent job at pressing. With his tall stature, he wins tons of aerial duels and holds up play to allow others into the attack.
Mandzukic does it all, he’s not afraid of doing the dirty work, something Mourinho admires. Again, this is a win-now move, and could be worth the risk of moving Pogba. Something to keep an eye on until the Premier League starts again in August.