Man Utd urged to sign one of two England stars as transfer back-up to help Rasmus Hojlund
MANCHESTER UNITED have been urged to sign one of England’s Euro 2024 stars to help Rasmus Hojlund shine.
Hojlund had a Jekyll and Hyde first season in England, going on long barren runs as well as strong scoring streaks.
When all was said and done, the 21-year-old netted 16 goals in 43 games in all competitions.
However, former Red Devils star Paul Ince reckons he needs some help in the form of one of two seasoned Premier League pros who starred at the Euros for the Three Lions – either Ollie Watkins or Ivan Toney.
Ince exclusively told Ladbrokes 1-2 Free: “They’ve got to strengthen a lot this summer.
“When you look at a team before pre-season starts, and you start identifying where you might want to strengthen, you don’t want to make wholesale changes.
“You know, you want to keep the core of the team. But when you look at Manchester United, they need at least seven players, arguably in the starting XI.
“Raphael Varane is gone now, Lisandro Martinez has been injured pretty much all season, so there’s an issue there; can he compete for 40 or more games per season?
“We’ve got Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who we’re trying to sell. Luke Shaw has spent a lot of time out. Casemiro is going to move on, and we still haven’t found that holding number six.
“Antony hasn’t been performing, so do you get someone in to replace him? Marcus Rashford hasn’t been at his best, and Rasmus Hojlund is still a young striker.
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“That’s so many areas of the pitch you would say need improving.
I think that’s what we need to get; a top, top striker, like an Ollie Watkins, like an Ivan Toney.
“Someone like that, who knows the league, to play up-front, and let Hojlund take his time and settle in.”
Watkins netted a heroic late winner for England in the semi-final of the Euros against the Netherlands, which followed a strong season with Aston Villa which saw him contribute to 40 goals.
Meanwhile, Toney’s presence was key in helping England progress past Slovakia in the last 16, before he coolly netted a penalty in the shootout against Switzerland in the quarter-finals.
United’s transfer chiefs have already added forward Joshua Zirkzee to their ranks following a £36million transfer from Bologna.
Moves for Matthijs de Ligt, Leny Yoro and Manuel Ugarte are also said to be in the works, though the former two are at more advanced stage.
Personal terms have been agreed on a deal for De Ligt, without a set agreement with Bayern Munich yet.
Meanwhile, Lille have accepted an offer for Yoro, with the defender now deciding whether he wants to wait for Real Madrid.
Man Utd have also moved for Everton‘s Jarrad Branthwaite, but have been rebuffed twice.
Ince added: “Listen, I’m sure the new people behind the scenes know what they’re doing. I’m sure they’re looking at Jarrad Branthwaite and they’ll have thoughts on him.”
Reports from Germany have suggested Man Utd could now HIJACK a transfer for Bayer Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah, after Bayern failed to agree terms on their own deal.
Man Utd lost 1-0 in their first pre-season game against Norwegian side Rosenborg on Monday, with Erik ten Hag blasting his players performances as “not good enough”.
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