The Manchester United fans in the Transfer Tavern are today looking at striking options to play second fiddle to the main man Romelu Lukaku, in the second half of the season. Indeed, the Belgian certainly has endured a difficult time of things over the last few months.
Mourinho has been left short this season up-front with Ibrahimovic’s long-term injury and now the little niggle he picked up over Christmas, which has not aided Lukaku in the times he’s needed to rest. With that in mind, Mourinho is reportedly searching the Premier League in this January window to try to bring in some much-needed depth into the squad.
Jamie Vardy, Javier Hernandez and Alexis Sanchez have all been on Mourinho’s watchlist in recent weeks according to reports. However, many of our punters believe the answer to Mourinho’s problem is staring him in the face and should focus more on bringing a left back and a left winger through the Old Trafford doors.
With that in mind, our landlord takes a look at two youngsters that Mourinho could use as a back to Lukaku while they learn their striking trade…
Marcus Rashford
The obvious choice for a back-up to Lukaku is the United sensation Rashford, having largely been out on the left wing this season, sharing that responsibility with Anthony Martial. The England man, who made his burst onto the scene as a striker under former boss Louis Van Gaal, feels most at home playing in the central role.
Rashford, like many of the regulars forget, is still only 20-years-old and still learning his trade as a United player. All he needs is a run in the side through the centre.
Andreas Pereira
Pereira is currently out on loan at Valencia and although he’s not setting La Liga ablaze, he’s still played 15+ times in the league, bagged a goal and several assists. However, ‘Los Che’ are having one of their better seasons in recent times and the experience of this can only aid the Brazilian’s development.
If Mourinho can bring back Pereira, it will give him the left winger he needs, which in turn frees up Martial to play down the middle. A little versatility in the Brazilian’s positions can only stack the positive reasons to bring him back.
