Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim secured his second consecutive Europa League victory final night time, beating Viktoria Plzen 2-1, however as soon as once more, hello aspect made onerous work of the win.
The Pink Devils fell a aim behind simply minutes into the second half after Andre Onana’s slack cross was pounced upon, handing Matej Vydra an open aim to place the hosts forward.
Nonetheless, Rasmus Hojlund saved the day, scoring a double off the substitutes’ bench, after being dropped for the assembly within the Czech Republic.
Summer season addition Joshua Zirkzee as soon as once more failed to impress and take advantage of his begin, being changed after an hour, along with his subsequent show placing his United profession in danger.
He’s solely scored three times in his 22 appearances for the Pink Devils, wanting approach off the tempo and never price wherever close to the £36.5m fee forked out for his signature.
Because of this, different choices have lately been focused, with Amorim clearly not proud of the attacking output, probably placing an early finish to the Dutchman’s profession in England.
United’s pursuit of a brand new centre-forward
Rumours have been swirling over quite a few names of strikers who could possibly be set for a transfer to Previous Trafford, however as of but, no participant appears to be like near a transfer to the North West.
Alexander Isak, Dušan Vlahović and Viktor Gyokeres are simply three gamers who’ve been touted with a switch in latest instances, however they aren’t the one ones.
Brighton striker Joao Pedro was linked with a move to United earlier this week, named in a report by UOL as considered one of two Premier League sides registering curiosity in a transfer for the Brazilian worldwide.
He’s made an exceptional begin to the continuing marketing campaign, scoring four and registering three assists in his opening 9 matches, additionally catching the eye of Liverpool within the course of.
There’s no point out of any potential price ticket for the 23-year-old, however his versatility of having the ability to function as a lone striker or as a quantity 10 would see him be an ideal match for Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system.
Pedro has confirmed he’s able to being the principle man in a Premier League outfit, making him a viable choice for the brand new boss forward of January, along with his comparisons to 1 main top-flight expertise solely highlighting what a stellar addition he could be.
Why Pedro may finish Zirkzee’s United profession
As beforehand talked about, Zirkzee has been unable to make the impression he would’ve envisaged upon his big-money switch, struggling to make his mark underneath Erik ten Hag and now Amorim.
The fast-paced nature of England’s prime flight doesn’t seem to swimsuit the 23-year-old, however he undeniably doesn’t have the traits of a standard Amorim striker – missing the work fee and hold-up play on the prime finish of the pitch.
Hojlund’s type is barely going to lower his sport time, while a transfer for Pedro would massively impression his capacity to achieve the minutes he would want.
When delving into the Brighton ace’s stats from the present season, he’s outperformed the previous Bologna star in varied areas – resulting in comparisons from FBref to Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.
It could appear a farfetched resemblance given their distinction in roles, however Pedro has bettered the Egyptian in a number of key attacking areas all through latest months.
The Brazilian “magician”, as dubbed by commentator Kevin Hatchard, has registered fewer mixed targets and assists this season, however managed to realize a better goal per shot on target rate – making him a extra medical choice primarily based on his possibilities in entrance of aim.
|
How Joao Pedro compares to Mohamed Salah within the Premier League (2024/25) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Statistics (per 90) |
Pedro |
Salah |
|
Video games performed |
9 |
14 |
|
Objectives & assists |
7 |
21 |
|
Objectives per shot-on-target |
0.6 |
0.4 |
|
Progressive passes |
4 |
3.7 |
|
Go accuracy |
74% |
72% |
|
Profitable dribbles |
1.7 |
1.6 |
|
Aerials received |
1.9 |
0.2 |
|
Tackles received |
1.1 |
0.6 |
|
Stats through FBref |
||
He could primarily be a centre-forward, however he’s registered extra progressive passes per 90 than Arne Slot’s star man, showcasing his versatility in attacking areas, making him in a position to enhance the goalscoring tallies of these round him.
Crucially, the Seagulls attacker has additionally won 1.1 tackles per 90, demonstrating his capacity out of possession, arguably making him the right choice for the 39-year-old United boss.
Any deal for Pedro will undoubtedly be yet one more enormous sum splashed by the present hierarchy, but it surely’s evident what he would carry to the present first-team aspect, offering an instantaneous improve, while additionally having the potential to enhance down the road.
Nonetheless, the Pink Devils will face an enormous process in convincing him to maneuver to Previous Trafford, fairly than Anfield, ought to they determine to pursue a transfer for the 23-year-old in January.
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Manchester United secured a 3rd consecutive Europa League victory final night time.
