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Manchester United: Joshua King targeted by Red Devils for possible Old Trafford return
Manchester United could look to bring in a one-time Red Devils academy prospect as a possible alternative to Jadon Sancho.
According to talkSPORT, the Old Trafford club are monitoring Bournemouth forward Joshua King, who is also being coveted by former United manager Jose Mourinho at Tottenham. The media outlet claimed that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen on signing his Norwegian compatriot if the club’s reported £90m offer for Borussia Dortmund winger Sancho is rejected.
King, who has won 48 caps and scored 17 goals for Norway, is a former United academy starlet who made just two appearances for the Red Devils’ first team (totalling 14 minutes) before eventually leaving on a permanent basis for Blackburn in 2013.
He has gone on to make a name for himself at Premier League level, scoring 48 goals in 161 top-flight appearances for Bournemouth before their relegation in July, and he has barely featured for the Cherries so far this season, with the south coast club seemingly resigned to losing him.
The 28-year-old is a versatile attacker who can routinely switch between the centre-forward, number 10 and left winger positions, which could make him a very useful backup option for Solskjaer at Old Trafford.
While he may not have the sheer potency of Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford, who scored 34 goals between them in last season’s Premier League alone, King could be a viable alternative in a similar mould to Odion Ighalo, who has notched five goals in 717 minutes of game-time for United (one every 143.4 minutes) since his arrival earlier this year.
King is a proven scorer at Premier League level who can adapt to a number of attacking roles and could be a fantastic alternative for Solskjaer to have in his squad.
However, for United to be strongly considering him as an alternative to Sancho, who has 35 goals for Dortmund’s first team at the tender age of 20, is an indicator that the club seem to be settling for second best in the transfer market.
Would you be happy with the signing of Joshua King?
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Then again, something could be better than nothing for the Red Devils in what has so far been an eerily quiet transfer window at Old Trafford.
Man United fans, would you like to have King at the club if they are unable to strike a deal for Sancho? Comment below with your views!
