Manchester United are reportedly looking to sign a former Premier League forward to potentially replace Jadon Sancho at Old Trafford.
Is Jadon Sancho leaving Man United?
The Red Devils were busy over the summer in the transfer market, adding to their attacking ranks with a big-money move for Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta. Alongside the forward, Mason Mount, Andre Onana, Altay Bayindir, Sofyan Amrabat, Jonny Evans and Sergio Reguilon also made the move to Old Trafford.
There were also a number of departures, and it looks as if Sancho may well be the next to leave the club following a stand-off with manager Erik ten Hag.
The winger has not played this month after Ten Hag criticised his performances in training, with Sancho saying he has “been a scapegoat for a long time” on social media. The club were hoping there would be a resolution during the international break, but neither Sancho nor Ten Hag appear to be willing to back down, resulting in rumours of a January exit.
It appears as if a move away early in 2024 could be on the cards with those at Old Trafford expecting to receive offers for the player, and the search for Sancho’s replacement already appears to be underway.
According to one Spanish report in the last 48 hours, Man United are looking at three wingers to come in for Sancho, one of which is Bayern Munich’s Serge Gnabry. He has strongly emerged as an option alongside Athletic Club’s Nico Williams and Juventus’ Federico Chiesa.
Gnabry’s asking price is thought to be set at €60m (£51.8m), with another possibility being moving Bruno Fernandes r Mount out to the right.
How good is Serge Gnabry?
The 28-year-old, primarily a right-winger who can also play as a centre-forward or on the left, scored against the Red Devils in the Champions League earlier this month in a 4-3 win for Bayern.
The German has previous Premier League experience with Arsenal and West Brom but has now gone from strength to strength with Bayern, turning out on 224 occasions in all competitions, scoring 82 times and registering 51 assists.
He has caught the eye of Man United legend Rio Ferdinand in recent years, who once waxed lyrical over the attacker’s rise after leaving the Emirates, saying:
“His stats are phenomenal. He’s sitting in the top level, world class. He’s come to Germany and set the place on fire, he was absolutely stunning tonight. His decision making has been extraordinary.
“I’ll go as far as to say he’s one of the most improved players in football at the moment. I don’t think anyone’s upwards trajectory is as sharp as his.
“From where he was, being discarded by Arsenal and West Brom, to where he is now. Wow.”
As per FBref, Gnabry has been compared to the likes of Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka over the past 12 months and has ranked in the top 1% for wingers when it comes to non-penalty goals, so he could be a shrewd addition in 2024, making this one to watch.
