For the first time in a decade, Manchester United will begin a new season without Marcus Rashford in tow, with the former boy wonder having finally secured his long-awaited switch to LaLiga giants, Barcelona.
That loan move – which could be made permanent for a fee of around £26m next summer – has long been in the pipeline amid the Englishman’s ongoing exile back at Old Trafford, having last been seen in a United shirt away to Viktoria Plzen back in December.
Cast aside by Ruben Amorim ahead of the Manchester Derby triumph at the Etihad, the £300k-per-week enigma appears in need of reinvigoration, with his 30-goal heroics in 2022/23 standing out as a notable high point amid a mixed few years on a personal note.
2024/25*
24
7
3
2023/24
43
8
6
2022/23
56
30
11
2021/22
32
5
2
2020/21
57
21
18
Such woes have notably seen a fair few figures raise their eyebrows at the 27-year-old’s ability to still covet interest from an elite European club like Barca, with treble winner Teddy Sheringham even going as far as to suggest that the move to Catalonia is “a step up that he hasn’t deserved.”
Regardless, Rashford is someone else’s problem – or prize – now, for the next 12 months at least, with Jason Wilcox and co now needing to assemble a squad to kickstart a new era in Manchester.
Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha have more than strengthened Amorim’s hand so far, although further surgery is surely required…
Latest on Man Utd's search for a striker
The new Premier League season is mere weeks away and Man United appear no closer to ending their number nine search, having reportedly seen their interest in Aston Villa talisman Ollie Watkins knocked back, with the Midlands seemingly unwilling to cash in on the Englishman.
To the surprise of no one, wantaway Newcastle United man Alexander Isak also won’t be ending up at the Theatre of Dreams, with the cash-strapped Red Devils said to have stepped out of the race for the £130m-rated Swede.
Alternative options continue to be considered, however, with ESPN naming Paris Saint-Germain outcast Randal Kolo Muani as one of the players on Wilcox’s shortlist, following his return from a loan spell at Juventus.
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The suggestion is that United have been exploring a potential deal for the Frenchman, with the versatile striker said to have been offered to a number of clubs, as Juve struggle to greenlight a return due to the financial demands.
The report outlines that PSG could agree to an initial temporary deal with an obligation to buy, while a permanent move could cost in the region of €50m (£42m) – two years on from having cost the Ligue 1 side a fee of around €75m (£63m).
It is claimed that the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal have already passed up the opportunity to sign the 26-year-old, although could he prove a risk worth taking for United?
How Kolo Muani compares to Marcus Rashford
It is telling of United’s current woes that despite being cast aside before Christmas, Rashford’s return of four Premier League goals – excluding his two for Villa – still saw him finish level with Rasmus Hojlund in that regard, as well as one ahead of fellow forward Joshua Zirkzee.
That is not to say that the Englishman deserved to be persisted with, however, having notably chipped in with just seven top-flight goals the year prior, after also only scoring four times in the league in 2021/22.
Of course, the academy graduate has had his high points – namely his 17 league goals in 2022/23 – but there is little evidence to suggest that he is irreplaceable. Turning to a talent like Kolo Muani, for instance, could represent the perfect replacement.
Indeed, while many onlookers are perhaps most familar with the 39-cap France international for his last-gasp miss in the 2022 World Cup final, the former Nantes man is typically an “ice-cold” finisher, as dubbed by German legend Lothar Matthaus.
That was evident during his six-month stay in Turin earlier this year, with the dynamic striker making an instant impact for the Old Lady, having scored ten times in just 22 outings, including a return of eight goals in just 16 Serie A games.
For comparison, Rashford’s own January loan switch to Villa Park yielded only four goals from 17 appearances in all competitions, with both men having typically operated in a central role during their respective temporary moves.
Having started just 13 games in Italy’s top flight, Kolo Muani enjoyed a rate of one goal every 146 minutes, alongside an impressive goal conversion rate of 31%, as per Sofascore.
Rashford, for contrast, scored a goal every 238 minutes back in England, while enjoying a goal conversion of just 17%, having started 16 games in all.
While the latter man came out on top for assists (three vs one) and big chances created (eight vs two), the pair both averaged 1.1 key passes per game, with Kolo Muani notably enjoying a superior record for successful dribbles completed (0.7 vs 1.1).
And so, with the chance available for United to pounce, Wilcox could be able to hand Amorim an immediate upgrade on Rashford to bolster his forward line, with the striker’s form in Italy certainly reason for encouragement.
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