From being in a standstill mode to all going a bit crazy, Manchester United’s January window is setting up for a grandstand finish.
After pleading poverty all season, Man Utd are set to sign Patrick Dorgu, have repeated their Chido Obi trick to sign Ayden Heaven, and aren’t done yet.
Antony’s move to Real Betis has opened up some room in the wage bill while the exits of Marcus Rashford and Casemiro will turbo-charge their window, if concluded.
It appears something is happening in the background because Man Utd have now been tipped to sign a record-breaking forward who ‘plays like Kylian Mbappe’.
Man Utd’s Mathys Tel transfer/loan interest
Manchester United are in serious need of goals at the moment, with both Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee forgetting their shooting boots.
Amad has carried that load to an extent, and Bruno Fernandes is ever-reliable, but it is highly unlikely United go anywhere even this season without more strength up top.
Cue United’s links to Mathys Tel, the Bayern Munich forward who had the world at his feet when he signed for the Bavarians., continuing their chase that began well before he was at Bayern.
Upon signing for the German club, Bundesliga’s website broke down his strengths and playing style, where it was suggested Tel plays like Kylian Mbappe, due to his pace, strength, and inclination to cut inside from the left but eventually settling as a striker.
Bayern’s former manager, Julian Nagelsmann, a top identifier of talent, was far from the usual schtick of playing down expectations on a youngster, instead choosing to hype him to the moon.
He said: “He’s a very young, talented player who can play different positions… he’s very quick, strong with his body. He’s good at defending the ball with his back towards the opponent’s goal… I have the vision that he could score 40 goals one day in the future.”
At the time of signing, Nagelsmann said he visualises Tel as someone who would score 40 goals a season while Thomas Muller added credence to that claim by calling him a ‘”superb finisher”.
Tel is a serial record-breaker
Bayern have traditionally been a club where it’s notoriously difficult to impress so for the people there to wax lyrical about Tel before he had even kicked a ball for them speaks volumes about his potential.
That isn’t unfounded talk either, as Tel has been breaking records ever since he debuted as a precocious talent at Stade Rennais, one of France’s top clubs for young talent.
- READ: Confirmed Manchester United transfer deals for January 2025, ins, outs, loan moves, deadline date
Earning comparisons to Kylian Mbappe for his combination of pace, strength, and trickery, he became the youngest player to ever play for Stade Rennes when he came on against Brest in August 2021, aged just 16.
He would many records tumbling in his wake, a streak that continued at Bayern when he became their youngest-ever goalscorer, netting at the age of just 17 years and 126 days, beating Jamal Musiala’s record.
For a club like Manchester United which has gotten a little too used to breaking all the wrong sorts of records over the last decade, a player like Tel would be a breath of fresh air.
It’s a bonus that he also fills a position of desperate need and fits Ineos’ youth revolution due to his age profile. It’s a no-brainer move, especially a loan.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
