10
Manchester United only had two shots on target whereas Crystal Palace had 10 as the Eagles thrashed the Red Devils 0-4 at Selhurst Park on Monday.
Rasmus Hojlund was almost a spectator with the Dane hardly getting any service nor did he win the majority of his duels, a highlight of his time in England.
Extremely talented he might be, but the 21-year-old is hardly ready to lead the line for the biggest club in the world and he needs help alongside him.
Both Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford have failed to back up their new No 9 and the club are desperate for attacking additions in the summer.
Elite striker needed
Ideally, the 20-time English league champions should recruit a proven player instead of another promising gem so as to not cut into Hojlund’s development while also allowing him to play more freely while he learns the trade from the experienced star.
However, FFP concerns mean the club will likely need to be creative when acquiring players so as to not fall foul of the rules and that is why they have been monitoring Real Madrid veteran Joselu.
The Spaniard is currently on loan at the Bernabeu from Espanyol and despite only 16 starts in all competitions, the 34-year-old has 14 goals and three assists, making him the fourth highest scorer this season.
Los Blancos could sign him permanently for a measly €1.5 million this summer but so far no concrete decision has been taken and this gives plenty of suitors across Europe hope, including United.
As per Relevo, the three-time European champions are considering the Real Madrid academy graduate due to his low price point, his back-to-goal play and the fact that he has knowledge of playing in England, something INEOS greatly covet.
“Manchester United are monitoring Joselu as Høljund’s reinforcement. The Galician’s strengths correspond to the profile they are tracking: veteran with good physique, back-to-goal game and a a good finisher.
“Furthermore, he knows the Premier League, where he played four seasons [Newcastle and Stoke]. There has not been any negotiations but monitoring in case the opportunity arises to snare him.”
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano added that the Red Devils did get in touch with the player’s agent but no concrete talks have taken place as the striker would like to remain with Carlo Ancelotti’s side.
United monitoring Joselu
“So far I know there has only been a discussion between United and his agents. It is true that Joselu’s future is yet to be decided but I can assure you that the priority for the veteran target man is to stay at Real Madrid this summer, and he will exhaust his options to do so before considering alternatives.”
Joselu, on his part, would like to remain in Madrid as he is a huge fan of the club and United fans would be extremely disappointed if the club only bring in the Spaniard as the striker in the summer.
While the Spain international is certainly enjoying a great season in white, he cannot be the answer for United as his record in the English top-flight is abysmal while his age makes him a stop-gap option at best.
United need someone elite who can help nurture Hojlund and keep plundering goals if the club is to get back to the top. It will be interesting to see the final budget INEOS have to work with and which position they choose to spend the most for.
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