Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag will undoubtedly be planning ahead for the January transfer window over the coming weeks as he looks to improve his squad in preparation for the Premier League run-in. The Red Devils have endured a mixed start to the campaign thus far, with a handful of strong performances having been cancelled out by an equal number of poor results.
United have fallen particularly short in terms of their attacking output in recent months, with Cristiano Ronaldo no longer a sure-fire starter and the likes of Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho having failed to perform on a consistent basis. They have only managed to score 18 goals from 199 shots in all competitions since the beginning of the season, which makes for an underwhelming conversion rate of just nine per cent.
Ten Hag reportedly explored the idea of signing an out-and-out striker in pre-season but ultimately ended up spending the bulk of United’s money on a winger, centre-back and defensive midfielder in Antony, Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro respectively. A new centre-forward is likely to be the main item on the agenda for United in January, though, with their misfiring squad in desperate need of additional marksmanship.
However, it remains to be seen whether the Red Devils would be willing to spend a huge amount of money on such a player after splashing in excess of £210million on new recruits over the summer. An expensive but reliable target could emerge in the form of Ivan Toney, who has taken to life in the Premier League like a duck to water over the last two seasons and would almost certainly give United the goals they so desperately need.
Toney could well be tempted by the possibility of playing for one of England’s biggest clubs, although Brentford would surely command a decent fee in exchange for his signature given his importance to the way they play.