Opinion: The player Manchester United should sign in January transfer window

Manchester United’s squad looks depleted and the need for reinforcements this month is indisputable.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is currently without arguably his two best midfielders in Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay through injury. Attacking options are also stretched with no striker signed to replace Romelu Lukaku in the summer.

Stretty News writers have had their say on the one addition they would bring in this month.

Ben Parsons – Jack Grealish

Grealish is a player of genuine star quality who has outgrown his boyhood club Aston Villa. He has been the driving force in Dean Smith’s side relegation fight this season and has scored a handful of stunning goals. The 24-year-old’s opener at Old Trafford was particularly memorable and exemplified his class.

Grealish has six goals and five assists already in the league this season, a fantastic return for a player playing in a limited team. When you compare that to Jesse Lingard, who is often Solskjaer’s preferred filler of the number 10 role, you see where the problems lie. Lingard hasn’t register a goal or an assist in the league in over a year. We understand a deal for Grealish would be difficult to complete this month but every player has a price and if the midfielder has genuine ambitions to play under Gareth Southgate in the Euro’s this summer, a move could be possible.

Philip Morrissey – Emre Can

If anyone was unclear as to the necessity for midfield recruitment this season, recent developments will have brought focus sharply into context. Just as the injury to Eric Bailly, required the board to go out and buy a centre-half, injuries to Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba demands we recruit immediately. A ridiculous fee has been mentioned for the likes of Sean Longstaff and Declan Rice. Both are painfully average. Emre Can is the obvious choice in my opinion. Ignore the fact that he is a former Liverpool player. The man is an established German international who has been delivering quietly impressive performances in Italy for Juventus. Hard working, a good engine and experience in the Premier League? Seems a no brainer.

Brian Murphy – Kalvin Phillips

It’s never easy to sign a player of real purpose; this January has the added issue of United not being a very attractive proposal at current. You’re looking more so at an older player, or a player from a “lesser side”.
Leeds United certainly fall under the lesser side category, and although the hatred we have for everything Leeds, we can’t overlook them as a potential source of player.
Kalvin Phillips looks like a big prospect for them, 25 games played this season and has looked a very, very strong midfielder, not afraid to get stuck in. It might be tough to tempt him away as they chase promotion, but paper never refused ink, and a football club never refused a good enough offer for a player.

READ MORE:  Solskjaer reveals one key change to Man Utd line-up to face Wolves

Rebecca Laste – Fabián Ruiz

As a lifelong United fan, my earliest memories are of players such as Teddy Sheringham, Roy Keane and Eric Cantona for their passion, hunger and love of the game. This is what is completely lacking in this current United team, for me, with the exception of a handful of players. There is an evident lack of heart at ground level and although I do see it in small bursts from Rashford and Greenwood at times, we can’t depend on two or three players to spur the team on in their obvious time of lethargy and passiveness.

I would love to see Fabián Ruiz at Old Trafford this season. He is an incredibly dynamic midfielder, showing his skills both defensively and attackingly, and providing his current club, Napoli, with a consistency impressive for his 23 years. For me, we need to target hungry players. Players who want to play, want to tackle and want to win. Something that is lacking in this current squad and represents the ethos of the club we have always been.

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