Manchester United know they need a new striker to ease Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal load. And that’s why they are aiming for Darwin Núñez, who broke the Premier League with Benfica last season. The Red Devils seem to think he will be the perfect striker to start Erik ten Hag’s revolution as they fight for better days at Old Trafford.
Núñez was relatively unknown before the start of the season.
But the Benfica star is well on his way to becoming a household name after scoring 34 notable goals in all competitions last season.
To put it in context, this is more than any United player has achieved in a single season since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013.
Since then, United have spent money and taken advantage of their academy to try to find their next goal.
But the struggles and experiences of five different players are why they now hope that Núñez can be different.
In 2014, United played Radamel Falcao.
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However, Martial is now ready to leave United after he has not become the player the club thought he would be.
While his 23 goals in the 2019/2020 season were an impressive success, he has only scored eight times for the Red Devils since then.
And Martial’s problems are another reason why United are now looking at Núñez at the moment.
United signed Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the summer transfer window of 2016, shortly after Jose Mourinho touched down.
But the Swedish international would always be a short-term solution, rather than a long-term solution.
Ibrahimovic was a great success, scoring 28 goals during his first and only full season with United.
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But just as he was seriously injured, the Red Devils decided to show him the door.
United proceeded to pay £ 75m to join Romelu Lukaku in 2017, after seeing him impress at Everton.
However, the Belgian blew cold and heat before Ole Gunnar Solskjaer considered him to exceed the requirements after only two years.
Part of the reason for expelling Lukaku was because of Mason Greenwood.
Solskjaer and United believed the England international was talented enough to become a club legend in the future.
But with an ongoing legal case, it is unclear what the future holds for Greenwood.
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United have been searching for the next deadly striker at Old Trafford for years. One capable of breaking the 30-goal barrier.
However, with this hunt that has not borne fruit, Núñez is now the player in his sights.
Benfica will ask for a lot of money to separate from the Uruguayan international given its importance to the team.
But even without the Champions League football to offer, United have the cash to make a deal possible.
For now, they are willing to take their time.
However, it is possible that Núñez will line up with Jadon Sancho and Ronaldo at the start of next season.