HERE WE GO: Man united completed the signing of 27yr old striker who scored 20 goals and 33 assist last season, medical set to hold soon
Manchester United haven’t exactly enjoyed the best of starts to their 2023/24 Premier League campaign. A lacklustre 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers was followed by a woeful 2-0 reverse to Tottenham Hotspur.
Erik ten Hag has made only three signings thus far in Andre Onana, Rasmus Hojlund and Mason Mount, but judging by their attacking efforts in the first two matches, more firepower is required.
The club are looking ready to make a move for Brazilian striker Marcos Leonardo, yet could an Englishman be on Ten Hag’s radar?
Are Manchester United signing someone else?
The Old Trafford side are reportedly showing interest in signing Brentford striker Ivan Toney, according to FootballTransfers.
The player is banned from playing until January however as he was found guilty by the FA of numerous gambling breaches and this would give Ten Hag time to raise the sufficient funds needed to lure him to the North West.
The Bees have placed a £50m price tag on their prized asset and the Dutchman may have to move on a player or two before submitting a concrete offer.
What happens to Ivan Toney now?
His eight-month ban will take the striker up until January, meaning he can’t play a single game for Brentford in that time.
Although United requires firepower now, it looks as though they are prepared to wait for Toney and Ten Hag will be hoping for improved performances from players such as Antony.
The Brazilian joined from Ajax last summer for a fee in the region of £86m but has yet to showcase his true abilities in a United jersey so far.
He did register 11 goal contributions – eight goals and three assists – yet this was much lower than the 12 goals and ten assists he recorded the season prior with the Dutch side.
The winger ranked out with the top five across the squad for league assists (two) and big chances created (two), and with a fresh start this season, the pressure will be on to succeed at the Red Devils.
Indeed, signing Toney could certainly help Antony get back to his best, with the £20k-per-week gem able to link up well with his fellow attackers and across the previous three seasons for his club, the 27-year-old has registered 21 assists.
The former Peterborough United hitman created a whopping 12 big chances last term while averaging 0.8 key passes, further proving that he does more than just score goals when leading the line.
His tally of 20 league goals was behind only Erling Haaland and Harry Kane, whilst Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher lauded him by saying he was “one of the best attacking players in the league” and “reminiscent of Harry Kane”, which is certainly high praise indeed considering just how well the Bayern Munich star has done in England.
Toney might not solve all of United’s problems if he did make the move to Manchester in January, yet by unleashing him in his starting XI alongside Antony, Ten Hag could forge a lethal attacking setup.
The Brazilian needs players to link up with and judging by Toney’s statistics of late, he could be the perfect player to lead the line for the club while unlocking the Brazilian in the process.
