The need for change at Manchester United is clear to see with a major task ahead for Ruben Amorim.
The Portuguese coach has endured a mixed start to life in Manchester after making the November 2024 move to replace Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.
Goals have been a key issue for Amorim, with United currently 15th in the Premier League table, with just 33 goals scored from 27 games so far.
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The club record for lowest goals scored in an EPL season stands at 49 from Louis van Gaal’s 2015/16 campaign – and that needs to improve to avoid an unwanted benchmark in May.
Club captain Bruno Fernandes remains as Amorim’s top scorer in 2024/25, with 11 goals from midfield, but strikers Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund have managed just three and two respectively in league action.
Hojlund has been touted for a possible exit, with Zirkzee given another 12 months to prove his level, and Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho are also set to move on this summer.
Amorim is looking for a reliable goal scorer, that fits his system, and a move for his former Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres could prove too expensive.
Targets within the Premier League are now being assessed with Crystal Palace fans favourite Jean-Phillippe Mateta on Amorim’s rumoured agenda.
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Jean-Philippe Mateta’s Crystal Palace contract, transfer value, stats
Mateta continues to catch the eye at Selhurst Park as a career ‘late bloomer’ following his 2022 transfer from German side Mainz.
After initially struggling to adapt to the EPL, the France international has stepped up in the last 18 months, with 16 Premier League goals last season and 12 already in 2024/25.
The 27-year-old’s all-round game lends positively to what Amorim wants from a central attacker with reports from the Daily Mirror indicating Palace will demand £40m [$52m] to consider a sale.
Among Mateta’s superb numbers, are three goals in three EPL games against United, including a double which silenced Old Trafford in a 2-0 win for Palace back in February.
With his contract expiring in 2026 – and uncertainty over his committal to a new deal – this summer could be the perfect chance for Palace to sell if United can offload some of their current attackers.
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