Despite finding themselves on a six-match winning run, much of the conversation about Manchester United at the moment is about the importance of them signing a striker in this month's transfer window.
Following the exit of Cristiano Ronaldo in the aftermath of his interview with Piers Morgan in November, United are light on options up front, boasting just one out-and-out striker in the form of Anthony Martial. Manager Erik ten Hag is desperate to add to his pool of attacking options this month, giving his side the best possible chance of securing a top-four finish this season.
United are currently looking into the prospect of bringing in a temporary solution on loan. The January market is a hard enough window to navigate at the best of times, not least when you're looking for a world-class striker.
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United are looking in a very select market, setting their eyes on a limited number of options. Netherlands ace Memphis Depay has been closely linked with a return to Old Trafford, although Barcelona boss Xavi has played down prospects of an exit this month, and Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix is also a player attracting plenty of attention.
He has not played as much football at Atletico as he would have liked so far this season, so much so that, last month, Atletico CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin admitted that they could explore the prospect of letting him go, such is the relationship between Felix and manager Diego Simeone.
He told TVE: "For reasons it isn't worth getting into – the relationship between him and the boss [Simeone], the minutes played, his motivation right now… It makes you think if there's a reasonable option that’s good for the player, good for the club, we can look at it. I'd love for Joao to continue, but this is the current situation."
Felix has failed to ever live up to expectations since joining Atletico in July 2019 for a whopping £113million fee, making him, at the time, the fifth-most expensive player of all-time. He joined the Spanish giants off the back of a stellar campaign at Benfica, in which he plundered 20 goals and grabbed 11 assists in just 43 appearances.
His numbers during the 2018/19 campaign alerted a number of Europe's big guns to his potential and undisputed talent levels, with Atletico, in the end, the ones who were prepared to part with an astronomical fee. However, three-and-a-half years after crossing the Spanish-Portuguese border, Felix is yet to have given Atletico a solid return on their investment, scoring just 34 goals in 130 appearances, never managing to score more than ten in a single season.
His best return in Atletico shirt, in terms of both goals and assists, is 16 direct goal contributions, achieved in both the 2020/21 and 2021/22 campaigns. However, although Felix should not just be judged solely on his goals tally, given he has previously admitted he prefers to operate as a second striker, as opposed to as an out-and-out centre-forward, he has not been helped by Atletico's style of play.
Under Simeone, Atletico are a side that tend to retreat once they get their noses in front, taking their foot off the gas and inviting teams onto them. By doing that, although it has brought success down the years, it has stopped Felix from flexing his muscles and playing to his true strengths; he wants to get on the ball in and around the opponent's box and weave his magic.
That is why, given the way Erik ten Hag has transformed United's style of play this season, turning them into an attack-minded team who hunt in packs, Felix could be perfect. Former Benfica boss Rui Vitoria, who gave the Portuguese international his debut at the age of just 18, told Marca last year: "I think he needs to play in a more dominant team, to play closer to the opponent's area. That would improve him as a player."
With that said, any doubts being cast about Felix's record in front of goal ought to be reconsidered. Atletico's style of play is not aligned with his own style, meaning, in some instances, you could argue his development has been delayed. The talent is there for all to see, it just needs the right environment for it to be unleashed in.
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