Erik Ten Hag Makes 2-Man Shortlist To Replace Ronaldo At Man Utd

Man Utd boss, Erik Ten Hag has shortlisted Dusan Vlahovic and Benjamin Sesko as a possible replacements for Ronaldo.

EKO HOT BLOG reports that Manchester United are prioritising the signing of a conventional No9 next year, with the club already considering life after Cristiano Ronaldo, who could leave next year.

Erik ten Hag has identified Dusan Vlahovic and Benjamin Sesko as possible replacements for Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo has been brought back in from the cold by Erik ten Hag recently following his refusal to come off the bench against Tottenham last month.

The Portuguese forward has started three consecutive matches for United to quieten rumours about his potential departure in January.

But despite his recent starts, the 37-year-old remains open to leaving the club and, with his contract up in June, United are looking at their options.

After signing the likes of Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro, and Antony in the summer, the next stage of Ten Hag’s rebuild will involve the signing of a striker.

The Telegraph reports that Vlahovic and Sesko are two players who fit the bill and are under consideration for a transfer in 2023. Sesko is not a new target for United, having been on their radar for some time.

The 19-year-old Red Bull Salzburg striker exploded onto the scene last season but has been known to United for much longer.

According to The Athletic, United were offered the chance to sign him for just £2.5million when he was 16, but rejected the move.

Sesko decided to sign a contract with Salzburg’s sister club RB Leipzig in the summer and is now back on loan with the Austrian side.

Leipzig would not want to lose their young star and the report suggests Sesko would therefore cost upwards of £40m next year.
Vlahovic would likely be even more expensive, given Juventus paid Fiorentina £66m to sign the Serbia international in January.

But United hope that Juve’s failure in the Champions League could have ramifications down the line.

The 22-year-old has scored 17 goals in 36 appearances for Juve, who are now facing a Europa League play-off in February after crashing out of the Champions League with one win from their six Group H games.

Vlahovic was strongly linked with both Arsenal and Tottenham last January before Juve won the race for his signature from Fiorentina.

United are short of options at centre-forward. Ronaldo is currently backed up by Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial, but both players are often more comfortable playing off either wing and therefore United are keen to sign a conventional No9.

Ten Hag made that clear following United’s narrow 1-0 win over Real Sociedad in the Europa League on Thursday. “We need options because we have problems there,” he said.

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