PSV Eindhoven forward Cody Gakpo is being linked with a move to Manchester United in the January transfer window following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo.
After Ronaldo's explosive interview with Piers Morgan that saw the 37-year-old blast Erik ten Hag, United 's hierarchy and his former teammates, the striker has officially left the club by mutual agreement. Ronaldo didn't feature as much as he would've hoped in the first half of the season as Ten Hag preferred Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial in the central role, but with the latter's injury record, United could look to add depth to their attack this January.
MEN Sport understands United are prepared to bring in a forward in the mid-season window to offset the departure of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.
Gakpo has already managed 14 goals and 14 assists for PSV this season, and reports claim the club may let their star man leave this January following the conclusion of the 2022 World Cup.
READ MORE: Bruno Fernandes breaks silence on Cristiano Ronaldo exit from Manchester United
So, if United were to sign Gakpo in January, could he help Ten Hag's side claim a spot in the top four and potentially a trophy? Let's take a look.
We 'signed' Cody Gakpo for Manchester United in January
To set up this simulation, we used the Football Manager 2023 editor to arrange for Gakpo to join United from PSV on January 1, 2023, using FM23 to run the simulation. We also updated the Premier League with the latest results and released Ronaldo to get the most accurate results.
On his arrival, Gakpo was made a regular in the starting XI by Ten Hag, predominantly playing on the left of the attack. In total, Gakpo made 29 appearances in his first season at the club, starting 24 and coming off the bench five times.
The Netherlands international impressed in front of goal as he scored nine goals in all competitions, though he lacked on the creative front, failing to register one assist and also averaging a low average rating of just 6.96 per game. The Premier League was where the 23-year-old impressed the most, scoring seven goals in 20 league appearances.
His other two goals came in the Europa League, though he couldn't make a major impact in the FA Cup or Carabao Cup. When compared to the rest of the United squad, Gakpo was the fifth-highest scorer, scoring the same amount of goals as Antony in half the appearances.
Bruno Fernandes ended the season as United's top scorer, managing 14 goals as well as nine assists as the midfielder thrived following the departure of Ronaldo. Jadon Sancho hit his best form in a United shirt in the second half of the season following Gakpo's arrival as he ended the campaign with 13 goals, whilst Rashford and Martial both scored 12 each.
At the end of the 2022/23 season, Football Manager 2022 put together an overall best United XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics. This is what United's best XI looked like at the end of the 2022/23 season as predicted by Football Manager 2022:
Full United best XI (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Dalot, Varane, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Eriksen; Antony, Fernandes Rashford; Martial.
Gakpo didn't make the United best XI from his six months at the club, with Rashford and Antony staring on either wing whilst Martial occupied the lone striker role. Ultimately, the main metric for the best XI is average rating, and with Gakpo's being the second-lowest out of the United forwards, he didn't get in.
United's goal for the season is to secure a spot in the Premier League top four and qualify for next season's Champions League, and they did that with ease. In the simulation, United finished third in the table, well clear of Chelsea in fifth.
24 wins, six draws and eight losses in the 38 games saw United register 78 points in total, 11 more than Liverpool in fourth and 14 ahead of Chelsea. Manchester City found their best form after the World Cup, and they won the league with 99 points.
Gakpo's best competition was the Premier League, and out of his seven league goals, three of them were match-winners, showing his importance in the short space of time. Ten Hag's side were unlucky in cup competitions as they failed to win a trophy in the simulation.
United made it all the way to the final of the Europa League, but a first-half Tammy Abraham strike saw Roma beat United 1-0. A penalty shootout defeat saw United knocked out in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals against Newcastle, and Ten Hag's side were part of the shock result of the season when they were beaten 1-0 at home to Rotherham in the FA Cup fifth round.
Overall, this simulation suggests that if United were to sign Gakpo, the forward could make a strong impact in his first few months at the club, adding much-needed depth and competition to United's front line. He wasn't shy in front of goal as he scored nine times in just a few months at Old Trafford, and you'd bet that with a full pre-season under his belt, he could score way more than that next season.
Would you like to see United sign Gakpo? Let us know in the comments!
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