Manchester United
Premier League • England
Ageing forward ‘could be an answer’ for Man Utd as Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic comparison drawn
Thomas Muller speaks with Robert Lewandowski during match for Bayern Munich
Louis Saha believes Bayern Munich man Thomas Muller “could be an answer” for Manchester United as he could replicate the impact of Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
While United aren’t in the worst possible position right now – sixth in the Premier League – some things could certainly be better. Their goals output, or more where those goals are coming from, is a concern at the moment.
In 15 league games this season, United have scored 18 goals – they have a goal difference of zero.
What’s more concerning is that midfielder Scott McTominay has scored the most goals of anybody. In fact, Marcus Rashford is the only forward player that’s scored more than once in the league, and he’s only one goal past that threshold.
While £64million summer signing Rasmus Hojlund has bagged five goals in the Champions League, the striker is yet to get off the mark in the league.
As such, United have been linked with a number of strikers, with the potential to improve in January identified.
One man who’s been linked is Bayern forward Muller, as his club are reportedly interested in a swap deal which would see them receive Raphael Varane in exchange for the forward.
While it was previously stated United were not interested in Muller, former Red Devils striker Saha believes he could do a useful job at Old Trafford.
Saha feels Muller could be ‘an answer’
Indeed, he feels Muller has attributes which would make him a good asset for United.
“He’s definitely a great leader that’s admired across the footballing world. He’s played for one of the world’s best clubs for many, many years and he’s achieved a lot at Bayern Munich,” Saha told Betfred.
“He may not be as quick or as clinical as [Robert] Lewandowski was for Bayern, but he’s such an accomplished forward and nobody can doubt his quality. He’s a very smart player that has bags of personality.
“He may be 34 years of age but he could still be an answer for Manchester United, even if it’s not going to be a long-term solution for Erik ten Hag. Not many players in the world have the mixture of personality and experience that Muller has.”
Muller could replicate Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic
Saha also mentioned Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic, who came to the club while they were ageing and still did well.
“Similar to when Manchester United signed Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo. Those players had no doubts regarding their ability and quality and they’d be prepared to challenge anybody.
“They would challenge themselves and their teammates. This is what we need.”
“Every time those players went on the field for Manchester United, they had drive, they were confident and they had the courage to take the ball regardless of whether they were playing well or not. They didn’t shy away from their responsibilities.”
Ronaldo’s drive wasn’t particularly evident when he refused to be substituted on, leading to his downfall at the club. That said, he did score 24 goals in all competitions in his first campaign back; Ibrahimovic bagged 26 in one full campaign.
Radamel Falcao went to United beyond his prime and put up terrible numbers, though, and given Muller’s scored once in 10 Bundesliga games this season and has never played in England, it might be too late for that move and he could suffer a similar fate.