Manchester United secured a stellar 4-0 win against Liverpool on Tuesday evening in a pre-season friendly. A lot of positives to take from Erik Tan Hag’s first game in charge, but the Dutchman needs to bolster the squad significantly to restore the lost pride in the Theatre of Dreams. According to Sky Sports Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, Sasa Kalajdzic has emerged as an option along with a few other summer targets.
❗️News #Kalajdzic: He is a candidate for #MUFC next to Brobbey from Leipzig. Talks with the management from Kalajdzic have taken place but no personal meeting so far. Manchester United is very interesting for him. Bayern and Dortmund are not in. @SkySportDE @Sky_Marc ??
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) July 11, 2022
The 25-year-old Austria international is an outright targetman. The 6 ft 7 in centre-forward is known for his poaching traits inside the box and his presence would deliver a different kind of threat similar to what Erling Haaland and Darwin Nunez are supposed to offer in Manchester City and Liverpool colours.
Kalajdzic began his professional career at Admira Wacker where he featured as a midfielder before being converted into a ‘number 9’. An impressive 2018–19 season in the Austrian Bundesliga led to his transfer to VfB Stuttgart.
Stuttgart were fighting for promotion to the top flight of German football, but they found little help from Kalajdzic who went sidelined for the majority of the campaign due to a cruciate ligament rupture during pre-season.
The Austrian returned to action the following season and made an instant impact with 16 goals in 33 Bundesliga outings. He missed months of football last year through a shoulder injury but managed to find the rhythm from February onwards by firing in some crucial goals. Kalajdzic spearheaded the attack in Die Roten’s relegation escape.
Why Manchester United Need Reinforcements High Up The Pitch
Meanwhile, Manchester United are not at all stable high up the pitch amid uncertainty over Cristiano Ronaldo’s future. The iconic Portuguese wants to leave but the club is adamant to keep hold of him against his wish.
The Red Devils have parted ways with Edinson Cavani, whereas a failed loan with Sevilla casts doubt on what lies ahead of Anthony Martial despite an impressive display versus the Merseysiders. United are yet to clear their stance on Mason Greenwood who is currently out on bail after a rape arrest and the conundrum, therefore, must be addressed by roping in new names. Kalajdzic has entered the final year of his Stuttgart contract and it remains to be seen whether the talks develop in due time before the window is slammed shut.
