Manchester United: Carrick sets the target; German MLS links; Portuguese striker linked

By Jake Jackman

Michael Carrick has had a superb career at Manchester United, playing over 500 matches for the club and winning nearly everything there is to win in the game. His return to the starting eleven against Swansea City provided the team with a boost and there are many that think that he is key to getting the best out of Paul Pogba. The England international is still as hungry as he was at the beginning of his career and he has told Sky Sports that he believes Manchester United have a part to play in the title race this season.

“We just don’t feel we’ve got the results our performances have warranted; we know it can change, we’re not up to Christmas yet, there’s still so much to play for and we still believe that when it comes near the end and when it counts we’ll be right up there.”

The midfielder has started the season in great form, with the side winning every match that Carrick has been involved with, while he has an impressive pass completion rate of 96%. Although there is a lot of quality in the United squad, they have already lost ground on the leading pack and need a strong period before Christmas to establish themselves as title contenders once more. They must begin with a victory over Arsenal this weekend.

One player that is unlikely to play a part for Manchester United this season is Bastian Schweinsteiger, despite his return to first team training. The Guardian report that he is in talks with MLS club Chicago Fire and a move away from Europe does seem likely for the German legend. He met with Chicago’s coach Veljo Paunovic in Manchester on Friday, but negotiations are only at a very early stage. Nothing has been agreed at this point, but Chicago are the frontrunners for his signature.

The 32-year-old has been treated badly by Jose Mourinho this season and will be keen to end his Old Trafford nightmare as soon as possible. At the time of his signing, there were doubts about how much he could contribute, especially as Bayern Munich were keen to let him leave. He hasn’t been able to contribute as much as many would have hoped as he struggled to adapt to the physicality of the Premier League at this late stage of his career. Manchester United need to get him off the wage bill and a move to the MLS will suit all parties.

According to the Express, Manchester United have joined Arsenal in the race for Portuguese striker Andre Silva. The Porto man has been attracting interest from Europe’s leading clubs due to his impressive performances this season and Manchester United are the latest to be credited with an interest. Jose Mourinho wants to add some new players to his squad in January, with the attack being seen as a problem as they lack goals. Silva would arrive full of confidence and has the potential to grow into a leading player in Europe.

Although it would be an exciting signing for the club as Silva is one of the best young strikers in Europe, there are greater problems to solve for Manchester United. The defence is a major concern, especially now that Eric Bailly and Chris Smalling are out injured. Meanwhile, United have a lot of attacking players in Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Marcus Rashford, Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial. They already have the goal-scoring talent and the money may be better spent on other areas of the pitch. If they did sign Andre Silva, he would struggle to break into the first team, therefore I don’t think there is much in this one.

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