Mikael Silvestre has his doubts over whether Timo Werner ‘would have been a good signing’ for Manchester United with the former Chelsea man joining Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur instead.
Sealing a rather unexpected return to England on Tuesday – joining Tottenham on loan just 18 month after Chelsea cut their losses and accepted RB Leipzig’s £25 million bid – will Spurs gain prove to be Manchester United’s loss?
Mikael Silvestre, a five-time Premier League champion with the Red Devils, certainly has his doubts about that, though maybe not from the perspective you might expect.
While some have suggested that United are better off without Timo Werner – scorer of just 10 goals in over 50 top-flight games for Chelsea – Silvestre feels that Werner is also better off without United.
Tottenham snap up Manchester United target
“Hopefully, it’s second time lucky for him in the Premier League because his first stint at Chelsea was tough. However, I don’t necessarily believe that Timo would have been a good signing for Manchester United because right now,” the former France international tells GG Recon.
“I think any striker would struggle at the club because of the form of the team.”
As Rasmus Hojlund would no doubt attest to, leading the line for Manchester United is a bit of a thankless task these days. That the Dane only has one league goal to show for his time in England is, you could argue, a rather damning indictment of those tasked with supplying the ammunition from out wide, leaving Hojlund’s barrel empty more often than not.
“Yes, we are in January and there can be something done. But I think it’s a very tough moment for Manchester United to do good business because there aren’t many strikers available, and the team isn’t doing well,” Silvestre adds.
“Players aren’t daft. Timo is an example of a player that wants to play at Euro 2024, and these players will want to play for a team that’s at the peak of their form because they would have a greater opportunity to showcase their talents and they’d have a better chance of being selected for their national team.
“You couldn’t guarantee that if you moved to Manchester United at present.”
Timo Werner returns to England
Werner would be hard pressed securing a starting spot under Erik ten Hag too, given that Hojlund, Marcus Rashford and the scintillating Alejandro Garnacho appear to be rapidly establishing themselves as United’s most effective front three.
Opportunities should be easier to come by at Spurs. Particularly with Manor Solomon injured and Heung-Min Son unavailable due to the Asian Cup.
Fabrizio Romano reports that, alongside Werner, United have also held talks over Donyell Malen of Borussia Dortmund and Stuttgart’s Serhou Guirassy.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/lPwVToY