Manchester United are eyeing a new striker in the summer but recent transfer blunders are making them think twice as Andre Onana and Nemanja Matic go at it each other before the clash with Lyon
Manchester United copped stern criticism following their goalless draw on Sunday with Ruben Amorim having to defend his team and their methods. Gary Neville was among those to take aim, labelling them as “robotic.”
The draw did little to help United’s position in the Premier League and they languish firmly in the bottom half. Attention has turned to their Europa League efforts with victory in the tournament their only remaining hope of securing Champions League qualification, which is beyond them domestically.
Amorim’s side will face Lyon in the last eight this week, beginning with a first-leg outing in France. Following that they will take on Newcastle at St James’ Park at the weekend.
Here’s the latest news coming out of Old Trafford as the Manchester outfit plot their summer business with major reinforcements needed.
United target could see fee drop
United target Liam Delap will see his release clause drop to £30million if Ipswich are indeed relegated from the Premier League. The Red Devils have been linked with the young forward with Chelsea also keen on him. The Tractor Boys are the weekend which left them 12 points from safety as an immediate return to the Championship appears inevitable.
READ MORE: Andre Onana responds to cruel jibe from ex-Man Utd star – ‘At least I’ve lifted trophies’READ MORE: Marcus Rashford raises question marks as he is ‘not the answer’ for Aston Villa
Several of their leading lights would likely move on with interest in Delap mounting. He has excelled since leaving City in a £20m deal and he could be available to any suitor for just £30m should Ipswich go down. United will be monitoring the situation closely with the striker high on their list of targets this summer.
City also have a 20 percent sell-on clause in Delap’s contract which means Ipswich could end up making a minimal profit should the striker move on to pastures new.
Matic sparks Onana war of words
Ex-United midfielder Nemanja Matic has slammed Andre Onana, who he has described as “one of the worst goalkeepers” in the club’s history. The Serbian will come up against his former club this week but Onana has claimed that United should be too good for the Ligue 1 side.
Matic has not held back with his response as he said: “To say that you need to have cover. Onana? I respect everyone but to say that you need to get the answer. If you are one of the worst goalkeepers in Man United history, you need to take care what you’re talking about.
“If David de Gea or Peter Schmeichel or (Edwin) Van der Sar say that, then I will question myself, but if you are statistically one of the worst goalkeepers in Man United’s modern history, you know, he needs to show that before he says that. We will see.”
Onana responds with trophy-jibe
Onana has immediately hit back at Matic, insisting he had no intention of disrespecting Lyon, but was more than happy to fire back as he claimed “at least I’ve lifted trophies with the greatest club in the world.”
The Serbian midfielder and the current United No 1 have been involved in some verbals in the lead up to their Europa League clash this wee, with Onana happy to remind Matic that he can boast some silverware from his time in Manchester.
He posted on social media: “I would never be disrespectful to another club. We know that tomorrow will be a difficult game against a strong opponent. We focus on preparing a performance to make our fans proud. At least I’ve lifted trophies with the greatest club in the world. Some can’t say the same.”
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