Why Manchester United have missed a trick by not signing Mandzukic

The Daily Mail suggests that Mario Mandzukic has joined Qatari side Al-Duhail, ending speculation of a transfer to Manchester United.

The 33-year-old completed his move from the Turin giants Juventus after a four-year spell in Italy, which saw him win 4 consecutive league titles with the Bianconeri.

However, with the arrival of new manager Mauricio Sarri, Mandzukic saw himself fall down the pecking order at Juventus.

A veteran of 162 matches, the Croatian was an inevitable presence in the Juventus line-up, amassing a total of 44 goals and 18 assists from all competitions.

Mario Mandzukic is one of the most hardworking strikers in Europe. (Getty Images)

A key player of the Italian side in the past couple of years, Mandzukic did not feature in a single game this season, thus being forced to look for options elsewhere.

One of the clubs to be linked with the veteran forward during his impasse were Manchester United. However, a deal never materialised and now that he will ply his trade with Al-Duhail, all such speculations have come to a halt.

Meanwhile, Manchester United, who have managed just 26 goals this season, have looked blunt in their attack so far this season, with the side clearly in need of a prolific goalscorer.

The United centre-forwards have looked far from impressive this season, which has seen them slip to 8th place in the league table. By not signing the experienced Mandzukic, who is a Champions League winner with Bayern Munich, Man United have missed a trick for sure.

Former Juventus striker Mario Mandzukic engages in a tussle with Barcelona's Lionel Messi during a Champions League encounter. — Former Juventus striker Mario Mandzukic engages in a tussle with Barcelona’s Lionel Messi during a Champions League encounter. (Getty Images)

Moreover, the departure of Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan last summer has made things even worse for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, who clearly lack a clinical finisher up front.

United centre-forwards Anthony Martial and young academy graduate Mason Greenwood have managed just 6 goals in the league this season, giving us a clear glimpse of the team’s woes in the attack.

Except for Englishman Marcus Rashford, none of the Manchester United attackers have impressed this season. (Getty Images)

That said, United were foolish to not pursue their interest in Mandzukic, who has a whopping 188 career goals playing for a variety of clubs in the last 13 years.

Verdict

With United clearly struggling in the league this season due to lack of a quality finisher, manager Solskjaer and the club are enduring one of the most difficult periods in their recent footballing history.

The Red Devils have made a clear mistake by signing Mandzukic, whose poaching skills and vast experience could have really come in handy at such a difficult spell such as this.