Manchester United are one of the many clubs in England that are eyeing the best talents in Europe this summer and Jose Mourinho is convinced that he needs a top-class addition to his squad to contest in all competitions next season. He has been looking to bring a prolific goal scorer to his side to solve the problems in front of goal and with Zlatan Ibrahimović not looking likely to play for the club next season, he will have to look at someone who can walk into the first team.
Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann has been constantly linked with a move to the club recently and though the Red Devils have to break the bank to land their star, the Frenchman has the potential to take the club back to its previous best. So, will Griezmann’s addition allow Manchester United in their pursuit of success in all four competitions next season?
Standing as one of the best finishers in the world at the moment, Griezmann should be the first choice for Mourinho next season in the domestic league and Europe. Zlatan may yet want to play for United in the second half of next season but at the moment, Mourinho will have to plan for life without him and Griezmann is an important cog in this plan.
The likes of Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford are the only other options for Manchester United to lead the attacking line while Wayne Rooney and Marouane Fellaini are not expected to have to play that role next season. So Mourinho will have to spend on a striker for sure and there are very few options better than the €100m Atletico Madrid man at the moment in the transfer market.
Though the English league might demand a lot more of Griezmann than the Spanish league, the 26-year old is capable of playing regularly in two of the four competitions. This will mean that the second choice and third choice strikers will be responsible for the goal scoring in the domestic cup games. Martial and Rashford are currently those choices so Mourinho might yet spend on another player who can fill in this role or depend on Zlatan if he can get back to full fitness in time.
The Portuguese manager is not spending on a fourth-choice striker so Griezmann’s deputies will be raring to go and prove themselves to the manager every chance they get to get onto the field. This kind of competition will help Manchester United play at their best in every game and can, in turn, help them achieve a domestic double, which is not too far away from their reach.
Griezmann may not score the winners in the quarters and the semis of the FA Cup and the League Cup but his presence on the bench will certainly help the first team stars give their best in every game, making United a more formidable side.