Ex-Manchester United forward Louis Saha believes the likes of Robert Lewandowski are a “dying breed” of striker, but has urged his former club to target one in January.
The Parisian, 41, enjoyed five years at Old Trafford under Sir Alex Ferguson, scoring 42 goals in 124 appearances before moving on to Everton in 2008.
What type of striker do Man Utd need? Five things to know…
- Man Utd sold both Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez in the summer without bringing in a replacement for either forward.
- Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood have all had various injury problems this season.
- In the defeat to West Ham, Jesse Lingard was forced to play up-top for Man Utd.
- During Saha’s time at Man Utd between 2004 and 2008 he played alongside Rooney, Van Nistelrooy, Forlan and Tevez.
- He believes the club needs a powerful striker capable of holding the ball up.
Saha’s time at Man Utd saw him compete with the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy, Wayne Rooney and Diego Forlan, three powerful and technically proficient strikers, which Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is sorely lacking at present according to the Frenchman.
He would like to see his old employers target a more traditional No. 9 this January, specifically a player like Bayern Munich marksman Lewandowski. However, he went on to name-check a certain Colombian star currently tearing up Serie A as someone who more realistically fits the bill for Solskjaer.
Saha, speaking exclusively to Compare.Bet, said: “If you ask me I would break the bank for Mbappe, but now it’s too late. But when you look at strikers it’s a dying breed, Lewandowski a rare example of someone who is left, and I don’t see many players that can easily fit up front.
“I had views on some strikers like [Duvan] Zapata who I think is a decent player, very strong. There is a need for somebody up front who is strong enough to hold the ball and to give time and space to the players like Paul Pogba and McTominay to create something in midfield to put passes together.
“You’re asking a lot from young players because passing the ball around and having nice touches, it just looks too nice and it doesn’t work. This football is really down to possession, but hard on young players especially when they don’t have confidence.
“You need a couple of big strong characters to talk to people, to do the dirty jobs, winning duels, and to help the fans react. I think that’s what we want to see. When we lose we have that challenge that nobody likes. Passing is nice but you don’t hurt anybody.”
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Saha names only team who can beat Liverpool
Liverpool have enjoyed a perfect start to the Premier League season and currently sit eight points above reigning champions Manchester City.
Jurgen Klopp’s side look unbeatable at present, a view echoed by Saha, who believes the Reds will only slip up, if they exhibit signs of complacency.
He said: “I think that the only team that can beat Liverpool is Liverpool, if they don’t play the way that they are playing.
“I think that they were very unlucky last year and they are very consistent. It’s about working hard and they are ready to do the hard stuff.
“You need to do more than people expect and I look at three-quarters of the players are very talented but they work harder than anybody.
“That’s it. You look at Chelsea when they were unplayable, the old Arsenal sides, you look at Thierry Henry – he worked harder than anyone!”
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