Manchester United chose not to replace Marcus Rashford in January because a deal for Viktor Gyokeres is already “in place for the summer,” according to Miguel Delaney.
The Red Devils have struggled with goal-scoring issues throughout the season, and these problems have persisted even after Ruben Amorim’s appointment in November. ..Continue Reading
Strikers Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund have both underperformed this term. Early in the campaign, Zirkzee faced heavy criticism, but more recently, it has been the young Hojlund who has come under scrutiny.
The 22-year-old Hojlund has performed poorly in recent fixtures, whereas Zirkzee has shown noticeable improvement since being substituted by Amorim amidst boos from the Old Trafford crowd against Newcastle in late December.
Despite their struggles in front of goal, Manchester United refrained from adding to their attacking options in January and even offloaded attackers Antony and Marcus Rashford.
However, according to journalist Miguel Delaney of The Independent, there is a valid reason for Manchester United’s decision not to sign a forward in January, and it was not solely due to financial constraints.
Delaney suggests that “the noise at the end of the window” indicated that Manchester United had already set the groundwork to bring in Amorim’s former Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres in the summer.
“The club did not replace [Rashford] with any forward… and the thinking there is that Sporting’s Viktor Gyokeres is in place for the summer,” he wrote in his Reading the Game newsletter.
“Things can change, of course, but this was very much the noise at the end of the window.”
Gyokeres has a €100 million release clause, and Sporting Lisbon would have required it to be triggered for a January transfer.
However, the club has already agreed to allow the Swedish player to depart in the summer for a fee between €60 million and €70 million.
