Why Manchester United must make a move for Valencia’s Maxi Gomez

According to Spanish radio network Cadena SER (h/t The Metro), Manchester United sent scouts to watch Valencia striker Maxi Gomez in action against Barcelona last weekend, with the view of a summer move.

The striker netted an impressive brace as Valencia won 2-0 against Barcelona at the Mestalla Stadium. Maxi Gomez, 23, arrived in Europe in 2017, signing for Celta Vigo from Defensor.

After two successful seasons with Celta Vigo, he joined Valencia last summer and the Uruguayan has hit the ground running for his new club, scoring 9 goals and registering 2 assists in 18 La Liga appearances so far.

The report (h/t The Metro) adds that a move is unlikely to happen this month but Gomez, who has a release clause in his contract worth €140m, is one of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s list of targets.

Manchester United desperately need a new striker at the club amidst injuries and a lack of squad depth. Their failure to replace Romelu Lukaku, who left for Inter last summer, has been compounded by the loss of Marcus Rashford to a long-term injury.

Rashford is having the best season of his footballing career and his untimely injury has left Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with only Anthony Martial and teenager Mason Greenwood as options for the No.9 role.

Martial has blown hot and cold, while Greenwood is too young to shoulder the responsibility of leading the attack week in, week out.

Read more

• Why Manchester United should avoid signing Barcelona’s Ivan Rakitic
• Why Sandro Tonali could be an excellent signing for Manchester United
• Why Matias Vecino would be a good signing for Manchester United

Hence, the Red Devils’ interest in Maxi Gomez is logical. He has an impressive scoring record since moving to Europe in 2017. He has scored 66 La Liga goals in 136 appearances, proving how good a striker he is.

Still only 23, the striker will fit right into Solskjaer’s United, with the Norwegian tactician currently rebuilding the club and clearly relying on young talents and academy products.

Verdict

Gomez looks like a fantastic striker who could add some firepower to Solskjaer’s squad. The Red Devils must definitely look to sign him in the summer but for now, they must bring a stand-in replacement for the injured Rashford.