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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Richard Fay

Mohammed Kudus could solve three problems for Manchester United

Manchester United might need to get a little creative if they are going to strengthen every area of the squad that they want to this summer.

Erik ten Hag has already proven his eye for talent with the six permanent signings he has made in his short time in charge, and the next stage of his rebuild will be focused around the transfer window again.

United know their summer spending could be heavily influenced by the players they manage to get rid of at the end of the season, which could limit the number of players they manage to bring in themselves.

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It is understood Anthony Martial and club captain Harry Maguire will be the two headline names considered for sales this summer, while there could be another six senior figures who join them.

Eric Bailly, Phil Jones and Alex Telles will also be allowed to leave, and the club could consider offers for Scott McTominay. It is less certain whether Donny van de Beek will be sold following his latest injury setback, while Aaron Wan-Bissaka's recent resurgence may have saved his Old Trafford career.

Ten Hag's priority is to sign a striker, and he also has a desire to sign another creative midfielder who can help supplement the services of Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen.

Harry Kane and Victor Osimhen remain the top two targets for the attacking role, though Ajax ace Mohammed Kudus could prove to be an appealing alternative, not least because of his versatility in the forward line.

The 22-year-old is predominantly an attacking midfielder by trade but has played the majority of his matches as a centre-forward this season, and even played there during the World Cup for Ghana.

In fact, those performances at the World Cup perhaps best display his potential benefit to the United side given that they came across three different positions: striker, attacking midfielder, and right winger.

In the long run, it still feels like Kudus will be better suited to the midfield role that allows him to shine as an excellent dribbler and creator of chances, though this season he has proven there is a potent side to his game.

Kudus has netted 18 goals in 36 matches for Ajax this season, including strikes against Liverpool and Napoli in the Champions League, and has the fourth-highest expected goals per 90 in the Dutch top-flight.

Heading into the international break, though, he played most of his football from the right wing, scoring in five of his eight most recent league appearances from the wide role. It was also from this position that he netted a brace against South Korea in the World Cup.

His versatility certainly makes him a compelling candidate to join United this summer, though it is clear that he is probably not the prolific goalscorer they need to replace Martial and fire them to a title either.

However, the Ghanaian heads into this summer with just two years left on his current deal, and there is a feeling that he could look to continue his development by testing himself in one of Europe's top leagues.

It could well be that United need to act quickly to sign Kudus or risk missing out on him for the years ahead, and if the budget stretches then Ten Hag might well be tempted to bring in a player he admires so much.

Ten Hag has already raided his former club of two of their best talents. There won't be many complaints if he does it again.

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