Ruben Amorim’s mammoth task at Manchester United has just got a whole lot more difficult with a string of recent injuries.
The worst of which has been dealt to Amad, United’s star man this season. The Ivorian looks to be out for the remainder of the campaign, with Amad confirming the worst of the injury himself.
Kobbie Mainoo, Toby Collyer and Manuel Ugarte also sustained injuries this week, but are thought to be not as serious as the Ivorians.
Combine this with the fact Ruben Amorim allowed Marcus Rashford and Antony to leave on loan in January – Manchester United now have a problem in the attacking department.
The Red Devils now have just three fit out-and-out forwards: Joshua Zirkzee, Rasmus Hojlund, and Alejandro Garnacho, with Bruno Fernandes the only real creative outlet.
For this reason, could Manchester United dip into the free-agent market? Here are some players they could sign to fill the attacking void.
Paul Pogba
| Full name | Paul Labile Pogba | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 15 March 1993 (age 31) | ||
| Place of birth | Lagny-sur-Marne, France | ||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
The big one. Could Paul Pogba actually be coming back to Old Trafford?
The Frenchman has been without a club since he moved back to Juventus and was banned from football. However, that ban alleviates next month and some United fans still want Pogba back at Old Trafford.
Although he’ll be a little rusty, Pogba on his day is one of the world’s best midfielders. Given the time of crisis, a lot will probably go – ‘Why not?’ when it comes to a Pogba return.
Mariano Diaz
| Full name | Mariano Díaz Mejía | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1 August 1993 (age 31) | ||
| Place of birth | Premià de Mar, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
Mariano Diaz looked like one of the hottest striking prospects in football when he signed for Real Madrid, but since then, his career has been on a downward trajectory.
The Dominican never really made a name for himself at Real, but was prolific at Lyon in the Ligue 1 – so evidently does have goals in his locker.
That being said, the 31-year-old did accumulate two Champions League’s and three La Liga’s whilst in Spain, and after being made a free agent departing from Sevilla in the summer – could United take a chance on the striker?
Lucas Perez
| Full name | Lucas Pérez Martínez | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 10 September 1988 (age 36) | ||
| Place of birth | A Coruña, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
Lucas Perez has had an illustrious career, but his time in the Premier League hasn’t worked out thus far. His spells for Arsenal and West Ham were woeful.
But with his most recently departed club, Deportivo La Coruna, he has 75 goals and 56 assists in 237 outings over three stints. Not bad at all.
But, at 36 years old – is he worth a punt? Maybe not, as there are still better options on this list.
Carlos Vela
| Full name | Carlos Alberto Vela Garrido | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1 March 1989 (age 35) | ||
| Place of birth | Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward, winger, attacking midfielder | ||
This is an interesting one. Another former Arsenal star, Carlos Vela is also currently without a club.
Again, it never quite worked out in England for Vela – but he became a little bit of a superstar in the MLS. He scored a ridiculous 78 goals in 152 games for Los Angeles FC from 2018 – 2024.
Prior to this, he also had an extremely successful spell with Real Sociedad. 54 goals in 184 games. Vela is now 35, but that is undeniable, rich goal-scoring quality. A maybe?
Diego Costa
| Full name | Diego da Silva Costa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 7 October 1988 (age 36) | ||
| Place of birth | Lagarto, Sergipe, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
This would’ve been some coup – maybe half a decade ago. Two-time Premier League winner with Chelsea Diego Costa is also free to sign, but the Spaniard’s better days are probably behind him.
Costa’s last visit to England was with Wolves, and he struck just once in 25 games, adding to his 52 at Chelsea to give him over a half-century of PL goals, as per the Premier League.
He did endure some recent success in Brazil – but this is a highly unlikely option for Manchester United, and in fact Costa.
Maxi Gomez
| Full name | Maximiliano Gómez González | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 14 August 1996 (age 28) | ||
| Place of birth | Paysandú, Uruguay | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
Finally, Maxi Gomez is a forward who has hit the free-agent market, despite being a serial goal-getter in La Liga.
After some sensational numbers at Celta Vigo, a move to Valencia saw the Uruguayan’s career stagnate – which eventually led to a move to Turkey – where he’d net just five times.
Then after a lacklustre loan to Cadiz, time was up for Gomez and he is now without a club. Again, an option for the Red Devils, but a solution? Most likely not.
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