Manchester United sent scouts to watch Benfica forward Goncalo Ramos at the weekend as Erik ten Hag’s side weigh up a number of striker targets ahead of the summer transfer window.
After failing to find the net in any of his last five Primeira Liga outings, the Portugal international picked a good time to rediscover his golden touch in front of the Manchester United scouts in Portimonense (A Bola).
And Goncalo Ramos certainly didn’t look like a man struggling for form or confidence when putting his side 3-0 up on the stroke of half-time. He chopped inside and rattled home an emphatic finish, firing Benfica one step closer to domestic glory.
That was Ramos’ 26th goal of an outstanding individual campaign. No one has scored more than his 18th in the Portuguese top-flight.
Manchester United like Benfica striker Goncalo Ramos
Alongside Harry Kane, Victor Osimhen, Randal Kolo Muani and Rasmus Hojlund; 21-year-old Ramos one of the strikers on Ten Hag’s wishlist ahead of what could be a crucial summer in Manchester United’s squad development.
Ramos has a £103 million release clause in his contract. And Benfica, as Chelsea and Liverpool discovered during negotiations for Enzo Fernandez and Darwin Nunez respectively, are not exactly in the mood to let a star player go on reduced terms.
Ramos famously scored a hat-trick against Switzerland in the Qatar World Cup, as Cristiano Ronaldo watched on from the sidelines.
Former Benfica striker Rui Aguas, meanwhile, believes Ronaldo’s status as Portugal’s first-choice centre-forward is likely to come under further pressure from a man 17 years his junior.
“(Ramos has made) a huge leap,” says Aguas, a three-time Primeira Liga winner at the Estadio da Luz.
“(He has) clear potential. Physical, technical, a guy who plays in the air like you don’t normally see nowadays. He’s very complete and he participates defensively.
“Goncalo is stronger (than Ronaldo), because he fills much more space. He is a player with incredible mobility,” Aguias adds.
“In finishing, (Ronaldo) is above almost everyone in the world. Cristiano brings experience. Goncalo brings the physical freshness. That gives him the possibility of (helping out the defence) when the team loses the ball. That, Cristiano does not do.”
The post Manchester United continue to watch striker who nets his 26th goal of the season appeared first on United In Focus.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/ckiUIu4