Ten Hag could land Man United’s next Michael Owen in brutal £35m-rated machine
As the summer transfer window draws near, Manchester United is once again being linked with a wide range of prospective targets as manager Erik ten Hag wants to bolster his team in preparation for the forthcoming season.
One maybe unexpected rumor that has lately appeared among the countless transfer rumors surrounding the Red Devils is the club’s connections to Sadio Mane, a former Liverpool star. According to Spanish media, the top four contenders may be interested in the Senegalese forward.
According to reports from Sky Germany, both Newcastle United and Manchester United are the most probable clubs to make a move for the 31-year-old Champions League-winning winger after a terrible first season in Germany. The winger currently plays for Bayern Munich, but following a swift exit from the club, he has had a disappointing first season in Germany.
Despite having scored 12 goals and contributed six assists in 37 appearances so far, the former Southampton star, who spent six years at Anfield before transferring to the Allianz Arena last summer in a £35 million transfer, is thought to be pondering quitting the Bavarian giants.
United, who reportedly agreed to a contract with Mane back in 2016 before his move to Merseyside, has the chance to take the lead with another ex-Liverpool player anticipated to make a disputed transfer to the Theatre of Dreams.
Would adding Mane to Manchester United be a sensible move?
Michael Owen was a free move from Newcastle United to United in 2009. The striker, who is now retired, began his professional career with the Reds and scored more than 150 goals for the Merseysiders. United has a reputation for enraging their competitors.
Despite scoring a sensational, stoppage-time winner in the Manchester derby during his first season, the aging striker, who was 29 at the time of his shift, was frequently sidelined by injuries during the following few years. But in the end, that acrimonious trade was fruitless.
The former England international has just 17 goals in 52 games prior to joining Sir Alex Ferguson’s squad at Stoke City in the summer of 2012.
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Given his prior success at Anfield, Mane’s 94-cap captain’s signing would be acceptable in this situation. Similar to Owen, the versatile forward has shown to be fairly clinical against United’s rivals with 120 goals and 48 assists in just 269 games.
The 5′ 9″ speedster, who Jurgen Klopp of the Reds once described as “brutal” and “like a machine,” has lost some of his way while at Bayern, so it’s uncertain what sort of striker Ten Hag would be receiving.
According to Florian Plettenberg of Sky Sports, Mane’s issues in his current circumstances have been exposed by the fact that some Germans have joked that they may have signed the marksman’s “twin brother.”
Ten Hag should steer clear of the £35 million-rated asset because, as it transpired during Owen’s time in Manchester, there may be a feeling that the former Red Bull Salzburg player is past his peak.