Just a few hours after moving to within a point of Manchester United in the Premier League table on Boxing Day it was announced that Liverpool had reached an agreement with PSV Eindhoven to sign star attraction Cody Gakpo.
The Netherlands international, who scored three times in five appearances at the World Cup in Qatar, will join the Merseyside outfit subject to passing a medical and agreeing personal terms. The speed of his impending move to Anfield stunned United's supporters, many of whom were confident of seeing him added to Erik ten Hag's squad in next month's January transfer window.
United had constantly been linked with the 23-year-old in recent months and a move to Old Trafford seemed to be just a matter of time, especially after Gakpo, in October, admitted that he held talks with Ten Hag about a switch to the club during the summer. However, Liverpool accelerated their plans to win the race for his signature, meaning United are now going to be left to look elsewhere to source a new goal-getter.
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The Reds are planning to bring in a new striker in the upcoming window to help increase their attacking output. United, despite the progress they have so far made under Ten Hag this season, are not yet firing on all cylinders in front of goal, meaning there is significant improvement to be made in that particular department.
Gakpo, however, was not necessarily the answer to United's goalscoring troubles. While there is no denying that his numbers for PSV this season have been both impressive and eye-catching, all of his good fortune has come via the left-wing.
Signing Gakpo to operate a natural striker carried an element of risk. A big risk, in fact. With all due respect, the Premier League is a step up in quality from the Eredivisie.
Despite that, the speedy forward was going to be an attainable target next month; his price was not sky-high and PSV had already admitted that they were prepared to say goodbye. Although he is not an out-and-out striker, he struck as being the best possible option to strengthen Ten Hag's attacking options.
Such is the nature of the January window and the inflated prices it brings, United are going to be shopping in a difficult market when trying to lay their hands on an alternative option. Atletico Madrid ace Joao Felix, who has previously confessed that he does not consider himself a natural striker, and Lyon striker Moussa Dembele could be realistic options, plus a few others.
At first glance, it is not the most glamorous of shortlists, is it? But that is the nature of a mid-season window when trying to source an elite-level striker. Someone like Victor Osimhen, who United are interested in, is a player that the Reds could only move for in the summer, for example.
It is why United might have to change their approach and go for a lesser name and find someone who would be happy to provide competition and support for Anthony Martial in the second half of the season, ahead of launching an action plan to recruit a big-name, heavy metal striker, who could become the face of the club's forward line for years to come, in the summer. Martial, despite his fitness troubles so far this season, has caught the eye when he has played this term, as a result of being given a new lease of life by Ten Hag.
He has scored five goals in nine appearances this season and would undoubtedly have enjoyed more outings had it not been for a collection of injury woes. When fit, though, he has impressed, proving imperative to the way that Ten Hag wants his team to play; he has the fluidity to be the striker the Dutchman wants and can drop deep to link the play, just as he did so impressively in the 2-1 win over Fulham ahead of the World Cup break.
Martial, even prior to Cristiano Ronaldo's departure, was always United's first-choice striker in Ten Hag's eyes. The former Ajax boss rates him and it was clear from the outset of pre-season in Thailand that he was prepared to give him the chance to get his career back on track.
Admittedly, Martial's injury record this season and his tally of just 13 United goals since the start of the 2020/21 season does mean that persevering with him as a first-choice striker does carry a degree of risk, but Ten Hag has proven that he has the ability to get a tune out of him, just as he has with other members of the squad. Given the lack of attractive and attainable options set to be available, Martial might get the chance to retain his place at the top of the pecking order, even though it is vital United do find someone, even if it is on a short-term basis, to bring in and provide some healthy competition.
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