ESPN pundit Mark Ogden has said that Manchester United missed out on a no-brainer signing in the form of Mario Mandzukic from Juventus. The Red Devils had agreed on a deal worth £14m with the Bianconeri for the experienced striker but a deal surprisingly failed to materialise before the Premier League transfer deadline.
He added that the 33-year-old does not remain a long-term prospect at the current age but he is still a no-brainer signing, considering he can offer something different off the bench, he said: “Anthony Martial missed the game at Southampton at the weekend, so they have two fit strikers, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood, who’s 17. So that is the problem. They could have signed Mario Mandzukic at the end of the window.
“A deal was agreed with Juventus, it would have cost I think around £14million. That for me would have been a no-brainer because yes he’s not the future but he’s a guy that ticks that box of being an experienced pro that the players can turn to and he can be a plan B in the last 20 minutes of a game if you need to score a goal to get back into it. Mandzukic has been around the block.”
Martial is currently in the treatment room with a thigh problem and that saw Rashford lead the attack without much success during the recent 1-1 draw at Southampton. Greenwood has been touted by many as the potential superstar in the making but so far, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has resisted the temptation of starting with the teenager this season. Manchester United return from the international break with a home game against Leicester City.