Manchester United’s proposed target Goncalo Ramos has given some interesting insights into his incredible form this season.
The SL Benfica striker has easily replaced Darwin Núñez at the Portuguese giants.
The Uruguayan completed a €100m move to Liverpool over the summer but has not missed out in the early stages of the season.
Ramos has taken over with eight goals in twelve games, consolidating his position as a starter.
Speaking to Mais Futebol, the striker spoke about his newfound importance to his team:
“The position that I prefer and best represent is the attacking reference position, the spearhead. But last year I was asked to play in support of our striker, which was Darwin, and I like that too.
“What matters is playing. Darwin’s game left room for me or someone else to play. It would be weird if I said no.
“Darwin scored 35 goals or something like that. It is great now to have the opportunity to play the role that I like the most.”
He has certainly thrived playing under new manager Roger Schmidt, developing into a striker capable of helping his team gain and take possession, whether in the box or elsewhere.
“More and more is being asked of a spearhead to be more complete. People thought that a striker is only there to score goals and the rest doesn’t matter, but I think that in recent years that image is disappearing a bit.
“It’s becoming more and more important for a striker to be more in the game and contribute more to the team, connect the game, press.”
At 21, the striker appears to have a good understanding of what it means to be a modern striker and his stats show he is bringing that understanding to the pitch.
His performances in Europe over the past year show him applying pressure at a rate of 19.6 per game, with 1.63 interceptions per game, putting him in the 93rd percentile of attackers in that metric.
Ramos’ aerial dominance is certainly something that Benfica have capitalized on this season, with the striker winning a remarkable ten aerial duels in their unlikely 2-1 victory over Juventus in the Champions League group stage.
With United looking for a striker in January, a player with Ramos’ physicality and intelligence could be a huge boost to Erik ten Hag’s hopes of a successful season.
The Sun reported earlier in the month that the Manchester United hierarchy were considering a £25m offer.
That would certainly seem like a bargain in today’s market, though if Ramos continues in his current form, that price is likely to skyrocket. 
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