‘Opened the door’: How hotshot forward with 31 G/A last season has reacted to Man Utd’s winter interest

Ruben Amorim had been targeting Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface.
(Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

Manchester United’s dismal luck in front of goal this season has prompted INEOS chiefs to begin scouring the market for January reinforcements.

As such, the Red Devils have already found themselves linked with a host of names, though whether they’d be able to sanction a permanent sale mid-season remains to be seen. If anything, you’d imagine Ruben Amorim is resigned to loan additions.

One experienced option who’s surfaced as a possibility is Christopher Nkunku of Chelsea. While he does boast a relatively proven track record in the Bundesliga, he’s yet to really establish himself in the Premier League, which is undoubtedly something that United will take into account.

Injuries played a detrimental part in his stagnant form last term. However, this time around, the 27-year-old is simply too far down Enzo Maresca’s pecking order to revive the most prolific version of himself fans witnessed at RB Leipzig in 2022/2023.

Reds add Victor Boniface to lengthy January shortlist

Victor Boniface speaks with manager Xabi Alonso.
(Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)

Elsewhere, Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg revealed yesterday that the club are ‘actively scouting’ Victor Boniface, though admitted that any prospective deal would indeed be ‘expensive’.

The Bayer Leverkusen starlet, 23, enjoyed a prolific campaign last year as Xabi Alonso’s side reached unprecedented heights with their invincible Bundesliga triumph and DFB Pokal win. Boniface scored 21 times in all competitions while notching a further 10 assists.

He’s hoping to recreate such tremendous numbers this season, having scored eight times and assisted once in his 15 outings thus far. A hamstring injury has kept the Nigerian out of Leverkusen’s last two fixtures.

Yet, United have been instructed to avoid getting their hopes up with the striker. A report relayed by Football365 today details that while Joshua Zirkzee’s lacklustre performances ‘opened the door’ for a January signing, Boniface has decided to ‘rule out any possibility’ of making the move to Old Trafford after Christmas.

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