Former Reds midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger doesn’t believe Sasa Kalajdzic is ready for a move to Manchester United.
Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg reported earlier this month that the Austrian striker is a candidate for United, and the forward finds a move to the Red Devils to be ‘very interesting’.
The 25-year-old’s contract with VfB Stuttgart expires next summer and the 15-time Austria international, who is now being managed by Ralf Rangnick for his country, scored six goals last season.
The towering 6ft 7 striker missed a large chunk of last season due to a shoulder injury and has missed large periods of previous seasons due to a cruciate knee ligament injury and a metatarsal fracture.
But he showed what he is capable in front of goal when he stays injury free during the 2020-21 campaign.
Kalajdzic scored 17 goals across all competitions, 16 of which came in the Bundesliga.
Schweinsteiger doesn’t believe Sasa Kalajdzic is ready for a move to Manchester United
While uncertainty continues to surround the future of wantaway striker Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United continue to reiterate that our number seven is not for sale.
But if the club’s stance to allow the five-time Ballon d’Or winner to join a Champions League does soften, a back-up option for Anthony Martial will have to be lined-up before allowing the 37-year-old to leave the club for a second time.
German newspaper BILD reported last month that Stuttgart wanted 25 million Euros (£21m) for Kalajdzic this summer.
While Kalajdzic could be a wildcard option whose height could provide United with a different attacking dimension, Schweinsteiger doesn’t believe the Austrian is ready for a move to Old Trafford.
“I have a high regard for Sasa,” the World Cup, Champions League and eight-time Bundesliga winner told Kronen Zeitung.
“(He is) a slightly different centre-forward, not done developing yet.
“Now he has to reach the next level, but from my experience, maybe the jump would be too big.”
Schweinsteiger, who won the FA Cup and League Cup during his time at Manchester United, may not believe that Kalajdzic is ready for a move to the Theatre of Dreams just yet, but as Erik ten Hag showed with Sebastian Haller at Ajax – the 52-year-old can turn physically imposing strikers into one of the most formidable finishers on the continent.
Given that Kalajdzic has less than 12 months to run on his contract, a deal could prove quite easy to broker, unlike the £55m-valued Benjamin Sesko.
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