Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Man Utd turn attention to striker with 90 Premier League goals in shock link as search widens

Ousmane Dembele and Olivier Giroud

Manchester United are now being tipped to offer Olivier Giroud a route back to the Premier League as they search for cover in attack.

Back in November, Cristiano Ronaldo ended his association with Man Utd and has since become an Al Nassr player. United still have a void to fill in their frontline, which Erik ten Hag is keen to address.

The United manager has missed out on one of his top targets after Cody Gakpo joined Liverpool instead. Now, the Red Devils are mulling over their options.

There is a feeling that they might have to go for a short-term option in January, rather than a big-money star.

In that regard, a new option they are considering, according to The Times, is Olivier Giroud.

France’s all-time record scorer bagged 90 Premier League goals between his spells with Arsenal and Chelsea. In 2021, he left English football behind to join AC Milan.

By the end of his first season in Italy, Giroud had become a Serie A champion. Now, he is in the final six months of his contract with Milan.

The Rossoneri are willing to keep him on fresh terms. However, The Times claims that Man Utd have identified him as someone they could go for in the transfer market.

Man Utd may find Giroud deal difficult

At the age of 36, Giroud would be the kind of short-term option United might need to settle for. Yet with nine goals from 19 games this season and a total of 23 from 57 since joining Milan, he remains a reliable operator.

It may still be a struggle for Man Utd to prise him away from Milan. But he is someone whose revival in Italy deserves attention and appreciation.

That said, his Premier League career may be a thing of the past realistically. If Milan are confident about extending his contract, Man Utd may be wasting their time.

Hence, it could be back to the drawing board again for United’s recruitment team.

Only Chelsea have scored fewer goals than them in the Premier League this season out of the teams currently in the top half. Therefore, it is clear to see why Ten Hag might want to find some other attackers who can have an impact.

At this stage, it doesn’t seem to matter whether they are near the start or end of their career. United will have time to think about their long-term project over the next few months, but only have a few weeks if they want to bring someone new in midway through the current season.

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