Bharath Rammr
Manchester United have reportedly sent scouts to watch Celtic striker Moussa Dembele, who is fast becoming one of the top strikers in the United Kingdom over the last month. The forward was unable to make much of an impact at Fulham, and Brendan Rodgers decided to take a gamble which is proving to be highly successful. In his three years at Fulham, Dembele managed 19 goals in 64 appearances. He is just four short of this tally but in just 21 matches.
The 20-year-old has been on fire in the last month and has failed to score in only two out of the last eight matches.
United would not have been the club to show interest in Dembele just six months ago.
Just before the start of the new season, Manchester United seemed to have one of the best forward lineups in the Premier League – and perhaps in the rest of Europe. The club had experienced goal scorers like Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibrahimovic playing alongside highly talented youngsters like Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford. It also seemed to be the perfect combination in terms of physicality, as Ibrahimovic and Rashford could provide the height that Rooney and Martial could play around.
However, just a couple of months into the season and United are struggling to score goals. After starting out brilliantly, Ibrahimovic has not scored in the league since the derby victory against City back in September. Wayne Rooney’s form has been so poor that he has not featured in the last couple of weeks. Rashford and Martial continue to be highly inconsistent.
According to the Sun, United scouts visited Global Energy stadium to watch Dembele and they certainly were not disappointed with the show put up by the young Frenchman. The 20-year-old came on from the bench to score the fourth goal for Celtic in the win over Ross County. It is not like the striker has been scoring against mediocre opponents. He has two goals in three appearances in the Champions League. Even though these goals came in just one game, it was against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
It is highly unlikely that United will make a move for the player on the back of the form in the few months. Scouting may continue at least until the end of the season before contemplating on a move. It would also fit nicely as Wayne Rooney is widely expected to leave United in the summer after falling out of favour. The striker has not been a first choice at United for over a month now, and it is highly likely that United may start looking at alternatives for the 31-year-old.
