The signing Man Utd should make to help Rashford explode into life

When it comes down to it, Manchester United must accept they were undone by a lack of physicality against Hull City on Saturday afternoon.

There begins Man United’s Premier League season, with defeat, and a painful one at that. Michael Carrick worked a miracle in taking the fraying reins from Ruben Amorim and lifting the Red Devils back up the table and into the ascendancy, finishing third and earning a place in the Champions League.

The start of the new campaign has proved a sobering reality check. This United side have holes to plug, though Carrick will have been pleased by Marcus Rashford‘s second-half performance at the MKM Stadium.

Why Rashford should stay at Man United

Last season, Rashford travelled to Barcelona for a year-long loan spell, divorced from Amorim’s vision. There the Three Lions winger won La Liga, scoring 14 goals and providing 14 assists across all competitions.

There’s no question that Rashford is among the most talented wide forwards in the Premier League. For sure, his ability to score goals and play a focal role for Man United has seen him post 138 goals and 79 assists for the outfit in the past.

After all, Rashford has shown, time and time again, that he has skills in his locker that few others can match in the English game, enjoying some almighty moments for the Red Devils and leaving pundits such as Paul Scholes saying, during those exciting early days, that he has “the kind of ability” reserved for superstars such as Neymar Jr. and Cristiano Ronaldo.

It might have been a dour day in Hull for Carrick and his lads, but when the underwhelming Patrick Dorgu was replaced by Rashford on the left wing at half-time, a change was certainly felt.

Rashford, 28, created four chances and played a proactive game, but he needed more support, and with Hull consuming the visitors from a physical standpoint, it’s clear that United need more vim and vigour in attack.

The signing who can help Rashford thrive at Man Utd

Benjamin Sesko came off the bench, as has often been the way under Carrick’s management, but it was Matheus Cunha who started the game off. It’s clear that the manager would appreciate another dimension.

Well, according to TEAMtalk, Manchester United have been approached by the representatives of Jean-Philippe Mateta as the Crystal Palace striker desperately searches for a new club before the transfer deadline.

Mateta came close to joining AC Milan in January before failing his medical. However, his return to Selhurst Park saw him recover from an injury and then return to free-scoring form, bagging four in the Premier League from April onwards, also playing a part as Oliver Glasner’s side secured the Conference League title.

Tottenham Hotspur are also among the clubs interested in signing the 29-year-old this month, but United have Champions League football to offer, and with the player challenging the validity of his contract in a developing case, this could be the right time for INEOS to pounce.

With Sesko developing into a high-level goalscorer, Mateta could be the perfect counterpoint at No. 9, an experienced talisman to inject some presence in the box, from which wingers such as Rashford can use as a target point.

Mateta has scored 42 Premier League goals since the start of the 2023/24 season. He doesn’t take too many touches each match, but the France international packs a considerable punch and knows how to work his way into space. He bullies defenders, and in that, could be the perfect partner for Rashford as the homegrown star looks to resettle.

Como scout and analyst Ben Mattinson has even suggested that Mateta has become “one of the best strikers in the Premier League“, not only a reliable goalscorer, but a menacing presence at No. 9 and a focal player with talismanic potential.

In that, he could thrive alongside Rashford; not only because the England star’s technicality would supply him with consistent chances, but because his strength and experience in the Premier League could allow the direct winger to find his own spaces to strike on goal and return to former scoring heights in the division.

In Mateta, United could pull off the kind of pragmatic signing that would have a significant effect on the system. He might not be a world-class superstar, but the Frenchman is a top Premier League striker.

Supplied by Rashford’s flair and creativity, Mateta could bring the physical punch to the Theatre of Dreams that they need to assert themselves against stubborn opponents – against opponents who will surely be stronger than Hull down the line.