According to Manchester Evening News, Manchester United have asked about the availability of Moussa Dembele to Lyon. Interim manager Ralf Rangnick has advised United to search for a young striker in the summer. United are looking for possible strikers they could sign and Dembele is just one on the long list.
Some sources close to the player suggest that Dembele may not be a regular starter at United. He could be a possible replacement for the veteran striker Edinson Cavani. The 35-year-old is likely to leave Old Trafford at the end of the season. However, some sources also report that Dembele will not leave the French club easily where he is the vice-captain.
Moreover, Dembele will also be entering the final year of his contract. He will not be forcing a move to any club. He will wait and consider all the opportunities that come walking to him. Moussa Dembele has scored five goals in the last seven appearances and a total of nine goals in 19 Ligue 1 games.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at the club also remains uncertain as United are struggling to cement their place in the Champions League next season. Moreover, Anthony Martial is on loan at Sevilla and could ask for a permanent transfer at the end of this season. In addition, Marcus Rashford has also started to consider his future after United decided not to include him in the starting XI against Manchester City.
Can Moussa Dembele replace Edinson Cavani at Manchester United?
Dembele’s main arrow from his quiver is his runs in behind the defenders. His quick acceleration lets him get a yard or two more on the opposition defenders. He then uses this space to calmly slot the ball into the back of the net. Dembele also uses double movements while getting into attacking positions. He uses fake run to take the defenders away and then immediately changes his lanes to get away from his markers.
The French striker likes to score from cut-backs instead of fighting for aerial duels in the box. He likes to finish with volleys and take advantage of failed clearances. Moreover, he also needs a partner who will make decoy runs so that he could get into space to score goals. However, he is not quite good at holding off defenders and could also improve on his touches.
Edinson Cavani has been vital for Manchester United last season but has spent major parts of this season sidelined due to injury. Cavani was mostly hailed because of his work rate and positional awareness. His quality of movement in the box was second to none in the 2020/21 season for Manchester United. It could be a tough ask for Dembele to follow in the footsteps of Edinson Cavani
Dembele is not the best technically and also relies heavily on his teammates to score goals. However, that is not what United must be looking for in a striker, especially a younger one. United mostly plays against teams that play in a lower block and whether Dembele wilto l be able deal with those low blocks is a question to many people.
Should United sign the 25-year-old in the summer?
Many fans are not happy after hearing the rumour of Manchester United trying to bring in Moussa Dembele. Dembele will have to work hard and change a lot of things in his gameplay to fit in at United. However, that may take time and if things go south, this might turn into another failed signing.
However, Dembele has good tackling skills and that could be very useful in Rangnick’s high press. Nevertheless, Rangnick will take up the advisory role instead of being a manager at the end of the season. The future manager of United may or may not see Dembele in his plans but he certainly wouldn’t like United signing players without his consent.
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Right now, Manchester United should focus more on finalising the next permanent manager and then take his ideas into consideration before going into the transfer window. United do have the capital to spend more even on a backup striker. They can take all the time in the world and look at better options. This season has been a major dip in United’s progress over the last three years. They need to bounce back as soon as they can. They will have to spend more money in order to support their new manager and to finally win some trophies.
