As soon as Erik ten Hag was appointed manager of Manchester United, he prioritized improving a leaky defense and a weak, brittle midfield.
And the signings of Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro and Christian Eriksen have certainly fixed those issues with the Red Devils just three points out of fourth with one game to go.
The main thing holding the team back right now is their lack of goals. The team is currently the second lowest goalscorer in the top half of the Premier League.
Gakpo the ideal ETH player
And after the bitter march of last season’s top scorer, Cristiano Ronaldo, the need to sign an elite striker is the main agenda for the January transfer market.
Of the countless names linked with a move to Old Trafford, Cody Gakpo’s name has been a constant since the summer.
The brilliant performance of the Dutch international last season prompted Ten Hag to ask United to inquire about the versatile striker.
Gakpo is understood to want to join #mufc and work with Ten Hag. [@JBurtTelegraph]
— The United Stand (@UnitedStandMUFC) December 16, 2022
The 23-year-old scored 21 times and recorded 15 assists in 47 games in all competitions last season. And he’s on pace to top his tally this season.
Most impressive about the PSV Eindhoven star is the fact that he came close to a move in the summer, but United ended up prioritizing a deal for Antony, which meant the deal never materialized.
Will his assessment end up deterring United?
But he never let his head down and has already tallied 13 goals and 17 assists in just 24 games so far this season. He was also the top scorer for the Dutch with three goals in the World Cup.
And Ten Hag has mentioned the importance of character and mindset while moving for single player and Gakpo’s characteristics make him the ideal Ten Hag player.
His versatility is another factor that works for him. Predominantly a left winger, he equally excels when he plays up front on his own as seen during the World Cup.
The only thing holding United back at the moment is their sky-high valuation at €50m after PSV decided to increase it after their exploits in Qatar.
