Manchester United dropped more points in the Premier League on Sunday when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
The Red Devils needed a 96th-minute equaliser from Rasmus Hojlund to secure a point against the Cherries last time out, as he deflected the ball into the bottom corner with just a few minutes left to play.
Manchester United have, now, drawn nine and lost 15 of their 34 matches in the Premier League this season, leaving them in 14th place in the table as it stands.
That is, quite obviously, not good enough for where the club should be – competing for titles and trophies – and that is why the upcoming summer transfer window is a big one for Ruben Amorim and INEOS.
The club have to get their recruitment work spot on to build a squad that is capable of competing with the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, and Arsenal next season.
One area of the pitch where the club could look to improve is the two number ten positions, after Alejandro Garnacho put in a disappointing display against the Cherries.
Why Manchester United should find an upgrade on Garnacho
The Red Devils academy graduate started alongside Bruno Fernandes in the two attacking midfield roles behind Hojlund in the draw down south, and failed to deliver an effective performance.
Garnacho had eight shots on goal, five of which were blocked, and missed one ‘big chance’ in the match, which shows that he was incredibly wasteful in front of goal, and the forward failed to create any ‘big chances’ for his teammates.
That has been the story of the season for the Argentina international. He has been wasteful with the chances that have been created for him, whilst not doing too much to create for his fellow attackers on a consistent basis.
Garnacho has not proven himself to be a reliable attacker, as either a scorer or a creator of goals, in the Premier League for the Red Devils this season, which is why they should attempt to bring in an upgrade on him in the summer transfer window.
Appearances
33
Starts
22
xG
7.06
Goals
5
Big chances missed
13
Big chances created
3
Key passes per game
0.9
Assists
1
As you can see in the table above, the 20-year-old dynamo has underperformed in front of goal, missing a whopping 13 ‘big chances’, and created less than one chance per appearance in the division on average.
Garnacho is capable of the spectacular, as evidenced by the incredible goal against Everton in the video above, but he has not performed consistently enough in the final third to be relied upon week-in-week-out.
This is why the latest news on Manchester United’s interest in signing a new attacking talent should be welcomed by Amorim, who needs more quality from his squad in the final third.
Man Utd plotting talks to sign Serie A forward
According to CaughtOffside, Manchester United are one of a number of teams interested in a deal to sign Ademola Lookman from Atalanta in the upcoming summer transfer window.
The report claims that fellow Premier League teams Arsenal, Newcastle United, Liverpool, and Chelsea are also keen on a swoop for the Nigeria international, who previously played for the likes of Fulham and Everton in the English top-flight.
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It states that Atalanta are looking for a fee of up to £55m in order to part ways with the impressive forward. That price tag is said to have made it difficult for Barcelona and Juventus, who are also interested in Lookman, due to their respective financial situations.
CaughtOffside adds that the Premier League clubs interested in the winger, including Manchester United, are planning to hold talks over a deal to bring him back to England this summer.
INEOS must, now, push to win the race for the 27-year-old Atalanta star because he could come in as a big upgrade on Garnacho to improve Amorim’s options at the top end of the pitch.
Why Ademola Lookman would be a big upgrade on Alejandro Garncho
As aforementioned, the current Manchester United forward has proven himself to be unreliable in the final third with his wasteful finishing and lack of creativity in the Premier League.
Lookman, on the other hand, has excelled as both a scorer and a creator for Atalanta in the past three seasons, since his move to the club in the summer of 2022.
As you can see in the chart above, the Nigerian superstar has vastly outperformed Garnacho across a host of key attacking metrics over the past 365 days of league and European action, averaging more non-penalty goals, Expected Assisted Goals, shot-creating actions, and assists per 90.
This, immediately, suggests that Lookman, who Gian Pero Gasperini dubbed “extraordinary”, could come in as an upgrade on Garnacho next season, by providing a greater threat in the final third.
The Atalanta star’s form over the past 365 days is not a flash in the pan, either, because he has been remarkably consistent in the Serie A over the past three seasons.
Appearances
31
31
28
xG
9.08
9.21
9.75
Goals
13
11
13
Big chances missed
7
8
13
Big chances created
10
10
10
Key passes per game
1.3
1.6
2.0
Assists
6
7
5
As you can see in the table above, Lookman is the picture of consistency with his contributions as both a scorer and a creator of goals, consistently creating and scoring goals at an impressive rate.
The £55m-rated star has proven that he has the quality to make the most of chances that come his way, outperforming his xG in all three seasons, and he has hit double figures for ‘big chances’ created each time as well.
These statistics suggest that Lookman would be a fantastic signing for Manchester United because he could offer more to the team than Garnacho, as both a scorer and a creator, to give the team a greater chance of winning matches by contributing to more goals.
This is why the Red Devils must work hard to beat off competition from the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal to convince the Atalanta star to make the move to Old Trafford this summer.
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