With the transfer window upon us again, the rumours are flying thick and fast and there is one such rumour that has caught the eye of fans and pundits alike. It is Raul Jimenez to Manchester United.
Jimenez is coming into the frame with stellar back to back campaigns for Nuno Espirito Santos’s Wolves and has been linked to the Red Devils and the Italian champions Juventus. Jimenez’s national team manager believes he should sign for the Red Devils:
“Looking at it from the outside today I cannot see a specialist number nine like Raul at United,” the Mexico boss told ESPN . “There are many forwards like [Marcus] Rashford, [Anthony] Martial and the boy who now plays as a right-winger, [Mason] Greenwood, but since Romelu Lukaku left I can’t see a pure number nine like Raul.“
Jimenez has scored 30 goals and grabbed 13 assists across two seasons in the Premier League. He’s a lethal goalscorer and will freshen things up at Old Trafford once Odion Ighalo’s loan move is expired.
The question still remains, should United sign him up?
Yes
A striker who can fit into the best teams of the footballing world on his day, Jimenez is molded in the same material as the striker’s Manchester United fans used to see and love. A classic no.9 who can hold the ball up and find the back of the net with ease and a team player who can close down the opposition and pass the ball with equal composure. He fits in like a glove.
Injuries to Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial saw United’s goalscoring charts to be dry. The lack of back up options cost the Red Devils precious ground in the league and other cup competitions. Raul Jimenez could be the player who can push on for the starting position as a more complete striker than any of his colleagues in Manchester. Martial’s rise this season has been sensational but United need depth.
Ighalo is not a long term solution. The Mexican international is strong in the air, has strength in his favour and is a master of the penalty box poaching, which makes him an attractive package for most of Europe’s top sides. With United wanting to challenge for all the competitions they play in, Jimenez could be the rotation striker that Ighalo is not.
No
The extension of the loan move for Odion Ighalo till January 2021 and the emergence of Mason Greenwood as a young talent has ensured that Man United have the minimum requirements in their squad to form a team for the long run. The arrival of Jadon Sancho is much sought after in the red side of Manchester and with Dan James waiting in the wings for a chance to impress again, Manchester United will be hesitant to shell out €70 million asking price that has been slapped on the Portuguese to ward off the vultures.
Jimenez’s arrival will take up a lot of United’s budget. Wolves won’t sell him at a cheap valuation. On the other hand, Jimenez is in his peak and won’t like warming the bench. Buying Jimenez could suggest United not trusting on their academy graduate Greenwood which is strictly against the club’s policy.
Verdict
This transfer is very unlikely to happen this summer.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login