History appears to be repeating itself at Manchester United, with the Red Devils once again heading into the closing stages of a January transfer window in need of a short-term, centre-forward fix.
It was almost four years ago that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer secured the shock deadline day loan signing of former Watford man, Odion Ighalo, while current boss Erik ten Hag also plunged into the market a year ago in order to secure the temporary addition of compatriot, Wout Weghorst – following the prior exit of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Neither deal can be looked upon too fondly – the pair scoring just five and two goals, respectively, across their spells – yet the club merely pulled them off out of necessity, having been in need of an extra body to come in on the cheap.
While not ideal circumstances, it looks as if the Old Trafford outfit could have to continue that trend this time around, with the woes of Anthony Martial – who is set to be out for ten weeks after undergoing groin surgery – sparking the need to find a suitable rival to Rasmus Hojlund.
Games
Goals
Assists
Goals per 90
25
7
1
0.36
28
6
5
0.22
24
6
1
0.33
28
5
2
0.27
26
4
5
0.20
12
4
1
0.38
Managing to secure someone to compete with the young Dane who won't break the bank is arguably the most obvious stumbling block, with the Premier League side seemingly weighed down by FFP restrictions.
If it is a short-term fix that the club are in need of, it appears they have already identified a suitable target – one with slightly more glamour to his name than the likes of Ighalo and Weghorst.
Man Utd keen on signing World Cup winner
As per a report from The Athletic earlier this month, United are seeking low-cost striking options who could be brought in before the close of the window, having seemingly made contact with Timo Werner, prior to the former Chelsea man's loan move to Tottenham Hotspur.
Werner is not the only German talent that Ten Hag appears to have his eye on, however, the report also outlining that Bayern Munich hero, Thomas Muller is under consideration, with the World Cup winner having been 'watched' by the Red Devils of late.
Although the 34-year-old only recently signed a new deal with the Bavarian giants until 2025, there may well be hope that he can be tempted to make a shock late switch, having seen his game time limited this season with only nine starts from his 22 outings.
Ideally, United would not be turning to an ageing asset to ease their centre-forward woes – following prior experiences with the likes of Edinson Cavani, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo – yet such a deal could well be a repeat of the club's prior signing of a certain, Henrik Larsson.
Thomas Muller could be Man Utd's next Larsson
For a player who actually spent just three months in Manchester, Larsson certainly made a strong impression, having been hailed as a "real joy" by manager Sir Alex Ferguson amid his eventual departure in March 2006.
The former Celtic and Barcelona star – who had been a reported target for Ferguson during his days at Parkhead – was signed midway through the 2006/07 campaign on a three-month loan from Helsingborgs, United craving additional firepower to supplement the likes of Wayne Rooney and Ronaldo.
Despite that switch proving rather brief, the Swedish sensation still managed to score three times in just 13 games in all competitions, including scoring the winning goal at home to Lille to send his new side into the last eight of the Champions League.
That impact even led United to try and sign the veteran marksman on a longer deal, with Ferguson admitting he "would have done anything" to keep the forward at the club, although Larsson opted to honour his contract at his parent club, and returned to his native Sweden – a decision that he later revealed he regretted.
While the hope would be that Muller would enjoy a more lengthy stay at the club, perhaps the £339k-per-week asset could cement himself as a cult figure among United supporters, if he can hit the ground running quite as successfully as the Swede.
Much like the 291-goal Larsson – who rocked up in Manchester at the age of 35 – the Bayern man is no spring chicken but could provide a wealth of experience to Ten Hag's youthful forward line, having recorded 500 goals and assists in 688 games for the Bundesliga giants.
For a team who have scored just 24 goals in 21 Premier League games this season, such an addition would seemingly offer more positives than negatives.
Thomas Muller's record vs Man Utd
Described as being "like a machine" by former Bayern defender, Patrik Andersson, Muller has regularly delivered when it matters most at the elite level, most notably boasting a remarkable haul of ten goals and six assists in just 19 World Cup appearances.
At club level, the enigmatic icon has also been a regular thorn in the side of Premier League opposition, including scoring five times in just seven Champions League meetings with Arsenal in his career to date.
As for United, the 126-cap international has only featured against the Red Devils on six occasions in Europe's elite competitions – including twice in the group stage this season – albeit while still managing to chalk up one goal and one assist.
That solitary strike came in the quarter-final meeting between Bayern and David Moyes' side back in 2014, the 6 foot 1 ace showcasing his typically clinical finishing skills to be in the right place at the right to turn home from Arjen Robben's cross.
As it proved, the home side went on to secure a 3-1 win at the Allianz Arena that night to clinch a 4-2 aggregate victory, with that perhaps as close as United have come to reaching the last four of the competition in the ten years since.
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At present, the focus for Ten Hag and his charges will just be doing their best to try and at least qualify for the Champions League courtesy of a top-four berth, with an experienced signing of Muller – in the mould of Larsson – potentially set to help them realise that aim.
The clock is ticking…
