It’s no secret that Manchester United are in dire need of attacking reinforcements after a dismal first half of the season. With Scott McTominay leading the way in the goalscoring charts with 5 goals and a total of 24 Premier League goals scored, on a par with relegation-threatened Everton and Luton Town, the need is more urgent than the Red Devils expected upon the arrival of Rasmus Hojlund in August. Could Karim Benzema be the answer?
According to Rumours, Benzema has been touted as a possible short-term solution amid speculation that the Frenchman is unhappy in Saudi Arabia after being excluded from Al-Ittihad’s Dubai training camp by coach Marcelo Gallardo. Let’s look at some reasons why he could be a convenient stop-gap for Erik ten Hag.
Why Manchester United Should Sign Karim Benzema
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Goals from a complete striker
The obvious one. 15 goals in 24 games this season and 450 in 840 career appearances put the 36-year-old in the conversation of the greatest strikers of his generation, if not of all time. For almost 20 years, ‘Benz’ has been scoring every type of goal in a striker’s arsenal for club and country.
Experience
After almost 20 years at the top of the game, Benzema has seen and done it all. On the pitch, he has had many different roles, notably stepping out of Cristiano Ronaldo’s shadow and taking on the mantle of main goalscorer for Real Madrid after the Portuguese international departed for Juventus in 2018.
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Before that, his clever movement and tireless industry laid the groundwork for Ronaldo to win games with his goals. Capable of dropping deep and linking play as well as peeling off into channels, the former Lyon man could be the perfect role model for United’s misfiring front line in the mould of Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Edinson Cavani in years gone by.
Fulfilment
It is no secret that Sir Alex Ferguson was desperately close to signing Benzema whilst the Frenchman was still a youngster in his native Lyon. In the end, United were beaten to his signature by Los Blancos but this could be a chance for him to finally experience the Premier League, albeit as his career winds down.
This would constitute a zero-risk move for everyone involved. A 6-month loan deal would allow the team’s misfiring forwards to learn from one of the best goalscorers to ever do it and relieve the pressure on the likes of Marcus Rashford, Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho.
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With that being said, such a move in the January window would seem unlikely given the club’s failure to offload Anthony Martial and Al-Ittihad’s reluctance to lose a prized asset going into the second half of the Saudi Pro League season. Indeed, the summer transfer window would represent a better opportunity to secure Benzema’s services, although, with the caveats that there would be more competition from other clubs, he would be approaching his 37th birthday, and would command an enormous salary.
