Manchester United need someone like Mario Mandzukic, asserts Dimitar Berbatov
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Dimitar Berbatov believes that Mario Mandzukic would be a good signing for Manchester United as he helps solve their problems up front. The Red Devils let go of both Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez this season and injuries to Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial has seen the club struggle to cope.
The Red Devils have endured a terrible start to their season and enter the second international break in 12 place and sit just two points above the relegation zone. It’s an incredible fall from grace after their opening day win against Chelsea, with Manchester United picking up just one point from their last three matches. Their Europa League journey has been a little better and the club sit in second place after two games.
However, their biggest issue after injuries to key stars has been a lack of goals, with Marcus Rashford struggling to cope without Anthony Martial. The 21-year-old has managed to net just three goals in 8 league games so far and that has seen Ole Gunnar Solskjaer criticised for their decision not to sign a replacement for either Sanchez or Lukaku. It’s also seen former Manchester United star Dimitar Berbatov add his two cents to the argument. Reports have indicated that the Red Devils are considering a January move for Mario Mandzukic and the Bulgarian went on to say that the Juventus star would be the perfect addition to the team.
"When you sell two of your main strikers you need to bring in at least one, just in case. Everybody can see that that Manchester United need a back-up, Anthony Martial is injured and there isn't another really strong proven goalscorer. They have the talent in the young players but at the same time, you need someone like Mario Mandzukic. I think he is a really good football player and he hasn't played before in England but I hope if he comes he can straight away get into the rhythm of the Premier League," the former United striker told Betfair.
The Croatian striker has been a consistent goalscorer wherever he has gone averaging 10 goals a league season in four different leagues. It includes spells at Atletico Madrid, Wolfsburg, Bayern Munich, Dinamo Zagreb and Juventus. His age, 33 years old, might prove to be a slight issue but Berbatov believes that as Zlatan Ibrahimovic flourished, Mandzukic will be able to do the same.
"Zlatan Ibrahimovic was 34 when he signed for United and he didn't have any problems. Mandzukic is a similar age and hope he could have the same impact if he signs. I think his age is a good thing; Martial, Rashford and Greenwood are all young players so they need that time and assurance that they don't need to worry and they can learn from the experience of Mandzukic."
