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This season, That of Manchester United the striking options certainly struggled a bit in front of goal. The Red Devils have just two senior number nines at the club following the summer departure of Rasmus Hojlund, and it certainly feels like they have felt the impact of that lack of depth.
Director Ruben Amorim has, perhaps unfairly, given Joshua Zirkzee limited opportunities this season, with the silky Dutchman making just 11 Premier League appearances, scoring twice.
This is the same number of goals as Benjamin Seskowith their summer signing from RB Leipzig now on an eight-game goalless run.
So perhaps it’s no surprise to learn that United are being linked with a new striker this winter.
Man United target Premier League striker
It appears Zirkzee’s time at Old Trafford is coming to an end in the coming weeks.
After another poor season at Old Trafford, he was strongly linked to a move back in Serie A, with Roma touted as a potential destination for United’s number 11.
Well, their replacement could come soon enough, and from the elite. According to a report by journalist Pete O’RourkeThe 13-time Premier League champions are ‘considering a decision’ to sign Crystal Palace and the French international Jean-Philippe Mateta.
The situation around the French star with three selections is currently interesting. He is out of contract at the end of the 2026/27 season and is “stagnating on a new contract” according to O’Rourke.
This could give United the chance to move in and sign him on the cheap, with Palace valuing it at £26 million during the summer.
Sky Sports backed up those claims, revealing on Thursday that the Eagles forward is indeed a player they are interested in long term.
Why Mateta would improve United
Over the past two and a half seasons, the 28-year-old has earned a reputation as “one of the best strikers in the Premier League.” according to Como recruiter Ben Mattinson. The Frenchman has become a key and constant source of goals for the Eagles.
In 148 Premier League matches, the striker, originally from the Paris region, scored 45 goals and provided nine assists. His two best scoring seasons came in 2023/24, when he scored 16 league goals, and 2024/25, a campaign in which he scored 14 goals in the top flight.
After 19 league matches this season, he has already found the net seven times. So he is pretty much on course to score a similar number of goals again, showing excellent consistency.
Amorim would surely like someone with this level of experience on his team. Old Trafford’s forwards have certainly struggled, with Sesko being one of the players who has yet to really find his best form.
It may only be a matter of time, but United fans are yet to see the same kind of form that the Slovenian has shown for RB Leipzig.
In two Bundesliga seasons he scored 13 and 14 goals before his big break, so two goals in Red could well be considered disappointing.
The underlying stats from this season suggest the Palace striker would be an upgrade over Sesko. For example, Mateta has a conversion rate of 16.28% compared to just 8.33% for the new Red Devils striker.
|
Comparison of statistics of Mateta and Sesko 25/26 PL |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Condition (by 90) |
Mathematics |
Sesco |
|
Shot accuracy |
53.49% |
50% |
|
Coverage rate |
16.28% |
8.33% |
|
Shots on target |
1.5 |
1.3 |
|
Goals |
0.5 |
0.3 |
|
Fouls won |
0.7 |
0.3 |
|
Statistics of Squawka |
||
Having a striker with Mateta’s quality and experience in the team would certainly benefit United’s number 30. Not only because he could learn from someone more experienced, but also because it would take some pressure off him as United’s main number nine.
This is certainly a deal that Amorim supporters can do no wrong. This is a bargain price for a proven Premier League striker, a plug-and-play striker who would fit into the same system he plays in at Palace and improve the team.
