Top five strikers Manchester United should target in January 2023

With the Winter transfer window open, The Red Devils are in the hunt for a new no9

Erik ten Hag has had an excellent start, but if Manchester United want to reward his work, they must give him some more market firepower. Before Cristiano Ronaldo's abrupt departure, United had a shortage of players.

They only have the badly injured Anthony Martial and the in-form Marcus Rashford as senior striker options. It would be difficult to guarantee a top-four finish with such a meagre arsenal. If United doesn't qualify for the Champions League, their intention to recruit a specific kind of striker in the summer may not proceed as planned.

Manchester United's quest for a new striker has restarted after Cody Gakpo was signed by their bitter rivals Liverpool this week. We have made a list of potential candidates for the Red Devils to consider in January to aid them in their search for a new striker.

5. Joao Felix

Signed for €126 million and is now possibly available on loan in January. The Atletico Madrid attacker is 23 years old and has scored three goals in 17 games, but his value was evident in the FIFA World Cup 2022 when he performed well for Portugal.

That does not bode well for Joao Felix, although it is not all his fault. Diego Simeone has never quite grasped what to do with a player as mercurial as Felix, owing mostly to the fact that he is not a gigantic centre-back, and it has cost the player some formative years.

With Atleti looking to limit its losses, United's loss might be Atleti's gain, and preliminary conversations have already taken place. Felix can play anywhere in the front three and even fill in for Bruno Fernandes in offensive midfield when needed.

4. Dusan Vlahovic

Dusan Vlahovic would be primarily recognized as the finest promising number nine in the game if Erling Haaland didn't exist. Currently, the player has 7 goals in 15 appearances for Juventus.

Vlahovic, who is just 22 years old, already possesses anything you'd want from a number nine and will only improve. Vlahovic joined Juventus in the 2021/22 transfer window for a sum that may increase to €91.6m, so any deal the Red Devils might make to get him would be costly. However, given Juve's present financial condition is in trouble, it's not as improbable a deal as it may seem.

3. Aleksandar Mitrovic

During the 2022-23 season, no attacker on this list was more productive than Aleksandar Mitrovic. The 28-year-old has scored 10 goals in 13 appearances for Fulham, which might bode well for United if he signs with them.Mitro is also the list's only 'Premier League proven' player, having scored all his goals at Fulham. He isn't the most thrilling addition United could make, but he is practical.

2. Jonathan David

Jonathan David seems to be an obvious target for Manchester United, having acknowledged to being interested in a transfer to the Premier League and his manager Paulo Fonseca acknowledging that keeping him long term would be tough. LOSC Lille's 22-year-old player scored 9 goals in 15 games. David is not just accessible, but he is also pretty excellent and his dashes in behind defences and sheer work rate are excellent for Erik ten Hag's United.

1. Memphis Depay

Memphis Depay's first season at Manchester United was a total failure. That doesn't mean things won't work out for the Dutchman in Manchester on the second try. Memphis was arguably not ready for United in 2015, and he is a much, much better player today than he was then, having had five successful years at Lyon in the meantime.

Now at Barcelona and highly disliked by manager Xavi, the Red Devils might come in January and get a quality player for close to nothing. He has only appeared in three games for Barcelona and has scored one goal.