Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s contract expires at the end of the season and here is a list of stars Manchester United could look to replace the striker
Red Devils may not be able to agree a new deal with the Swede who has been heavily linked with moves elsewhere
ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC'S debut season in the Premier League has been a success, scoring 26 goals in 40 appearances across all competitions for Manchester United.
But, at the age of 35 and with his one-year contract set to expire in the summer, the Red Devils need to consider alternatives for their centre-forward role in the near future.
While Zlatan is reportedly open to staying, there is a high amount of interest from clubs in other countries, including the USA, Italy and China.
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And even if the prolific attacker does stay at Old Trafford, his age means he would not be a sound strategic choice to lead Jose Mourinho’s line.
Here, assess five potential candidates to succeed Ibrahimovic up front for Manchester United.
ANDREA BELOTTI (TORINO)
Zlatan is far from an orthodox centre-forward. Indeed, he is perhaps as unconventional as they come, what with his tendency for dropping deep and eye for the spectacular.
Andrea Belotti, however, represents everything the Swedish hitman is not and could be an ideal Manchester United transfer target.
At 23 years of age, Belotti has exploded onto the Italian football scene over the last two years since leaving Palermo for Torino.
This season, the Italian has been tasked with playing up top on his own, and he has relished the scoring responsibility.
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At present he is the leading scorer in Serie A, with an incredible 22 goals in just 25 league appearances.
In the process, he has also established himself as his country’s number one striker and is set to be their first choice for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Belotti’s style of play is decidedly old-fashioned. A former winger standing at just over 5’11”, he has adapted well to the lone striker role, where his combination of raw physical strength, power, hold-up play, aerial threat and increasingly ruthless finishing can be fully utilised.
In addition, while he lacks the skills of Ibrahimovic, he possesses the tactical intelligence to create space for others, something that would benefit the likes of Juan Mata, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Paul Pogba.
KARIM BENZEMA (REAL MADRID)
This season has been a poor one by Karim Benzema’s high standards. The French finisher has only found the net seven times in 21 La Liga outings, a dramatic drop-off from his 24 in 27 games of 2015-16.
Underlying this decreasing strike rate is a decline in other important areas—he was completed fewer dribbles, made fewer important passes and attempted fewer shots.
At 29 years of age, Benzema has now been with Real Madrid for eight years and his relatively poor form may be viewed by some as a sign he is past his peak.
French national team boss Didier Deschamps only added to this notion by once again omitting the striker from his latest squad in favour of Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud, Atletico Madrid’s Kevin Gameiro and Monaco’s Kylian Mbappe.
Yet, while he may not be achieving the same numbers as before, Benzema remains a high quality player with the necessary style to replace Ibrahimovic at Manchester United.
And, considering his reduced importance to Real Madrid, he may well become available in the summer.
MANOLO GABBIADINI (SOUTHAMPTON)
When Southampton moved to sign Manolo Gabbiadini for a reported fee of £14million in January, the general consensus was that Napoli would have been delighted with the deal.
The versatile 25-year-old forward failed to truly fit in at the club, so to receive such a substantial fee was seen as a win.
However, on the basis of Gabbiadini’s impressive early displays for Southampton, the deal could soon be seen as a bargain for Claude Puel’s side.
Since arriving on the south coast of England, Gabbiadini has found the net at least once every time he has stepped out in red and white.
He scored just 12 minutes into his Premier League debut against West Ham, bagged a brace against Sunderland and found the net again in the recent win over Watford.
On top of that, he was extremely unlucky not to hit a hat-trick in the League Cup final defeat to Manchester United.
After that final, Mourinho made a point of personally congratulating Gabbiadini on his performance. And the Portuguese later described the striker’s second goal that day as “phenomenal.”
Considering he has already attracted the attention of the ‘Special One’, as well as the fact he brings fluid movement, intelligent positioning and sharp finishing to the table, Gabbiadini could be a strong outsider to succeed Ibrahimovic at Manchester United.
DRIES MERTENS (NAPOLI)
Prior to this season, Dries Mertens was seen simply as a talented winger; nothing more, nothing less.
However, due to the presence of Lorenzo Insigne at Napoli and Eden Hazard in the Belgian national team, he also had a reputation as a super-sub, someone unlikely to start but capable of changing the game off the bench. In 2016-17, all of that has changed.
In the wake of Gonzalo Higuain’s controversial move to Juventus, Napoli needed someone to step up and assert themselves upon the centre-forward position. New signing Arkadiusz Milik did a fine job before injury struck, at which point Mertens staked his claim for the role.
While at 5 ft 7in the Belgian is unable to win aerial balls or dominate opposition centre-backs physically, his quick feet, audacity and close control have made him a nightmare for markers to keep track of.
He has also shown clinical finishing to notch 19 goals in 25 league appearances.
His technique, skill and flitting movement make him an alternative choice to lead Manchester United’s attack, but his qualities could lead to fascinating combination play with Mkhitaryan and Mata.
MARCUS RASHFORD (MANCHESTER UNITED)
After an outstanding breakout campaign last year, Marcus Rashford has had to settle for a place on the substitute’s bench often this season.
This perhaps explains why he has only scored three times in Premier League action, but his all-round ability suggests he could soon be Manchester United’s first choice striker.
Fast, dynamic and deceptively strong, the 19-year-old is also a fine dribbler and a hard worker capable of defending from the front.
He’s hungry, committed and skilful, though next season may be too soon for him to shoulder United’s goalscoring burden.
Nonetheless, if Mourinho is looking for a long-term, inexpensive option, he need look no further than Rashford.
