Why Lautaro Martinez would be a fantastic fit at Manchester United

Manchester United have gone into the September international break with five points from the opening four Premier League games. After a smashing opening day victory over Chelsea, the Red Devils have collected just two points from their next three games.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has his team playing a positive brand of attacking football, with the forwards trying every bit to win the ball back higher up the pitch. While results have not gone Manchester United’s way, Solskjaer will be happy with the players he brought in during the summer transfer window.

United shelled a lot of money on Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James, as Solskjaer enjoyed his first window as permanent Red Devils boss in the summer.

All three have proven to be top acquisitions; Maguire and Wan-Bissaka have brought a sense of authority and stability to the backline, while James has quickly become a favourite with three goals in four games.

However, Solskjaer will be worried about his team’s lack of clinical finishing in front of goal. Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford have been charged with the task of scoring goals this term following the Red Devils’ decision to offload the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez.

Both Martial and Rashford haven’t really been prolific goalscorers and are finding it a tad difficult to finish off chances. The duo both found the net against Chelsea in a 4-0 win at Old Trafford.

Martial then scored against Wolves but was abject as United slumped to a 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace last month. Rashford is yet to score since his brace against Chelsea and was really poor against both Palace and Southampton, where United drew 1-1 on Saturday.

The Red Devils clearly need another striker to challenge Martial and Rashford for a place in the starting XI. That being said, United should go for Inter Milan star Lautaro Martinez in January.

Back in April 2018, Lautaro Martinez had revealed that he rejected a move to United in favour of Inter Milan.

The move has worked well for the diminutive Argentinean, who scored nine goals in 35 appearances across all competitions in his debut season at Inter. He has started the new campaign well, bagging a goal in two games thus far.

It’ll be difficult for United to lure Martinez away from Inter as he is very much in Antonio Conte’s plans but they must test the Serie A side’s resolve with an audacious January bid.

In Martinez, Solskjaer would not only get a prolific finisher but also an all-rounded centre-forward with excellent passing attributes and link-up play.

The Argentine international likes to use his speed and acceleration to run at defenders and dribble at pace. His low centre of gravity allows him to twist and turn quickly and make dangerous movement in and around the box. Due to his dribbling and movement, the 22-year-old is a very tricky player to mark for defenders.

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Despite standing at just 5ft 9inches, Martinez is very strong in the air and an asset to have in the box during set-pieces.

Verdict

Martinez would simply be perfect for Solskjaer’s style of play at Old Trafford. Hence, United should look at the Argentine international as a long-term solution to their no.9 woes.