Move for record-breaking striker tipped

Manchester United have been told why they should swoop for Aston Villa ace Ollie Watkins, with a former Old Trafford star blasting the club for losing out on other top players to rivals such as Liverpool and Arsenal.

Man Utd have had their worst-ever season in the Premier League, having picked up just 11 wins from 38 matches and scored only 44 goals in that time. The Red Devils finished 15th, though they were never under any real threat of relegation due to the three promoted clubs struggling to adapt to the top flight and going straight back down.

In the final weeks of the campaign, Ruben Amorim and United began to focus on the Europa League. They knew that the competition could ease the pressure on their shoulders by giving fans the chance to celebrate a trophy, while also qualifying the club for next season’s Champions League.

United reached the final but were left bitterly disappointed as Brennan Johnson’s winning goal saw Tottenham Hotspur end their 17-year trophy drought instead.

United chiefs remain behind Amorim and are prepared to back him with serious spending this summer to improve the side’s fortunes next season.

Matheus Cunha is expected to be the first new arrival, joining in a £62.5million deal from Wolverhampton Wanderers, and several more stars could follow the Brazilian to Old Trafford.

Ex-United midfielder Paul Ince has questioned why his former team has missed out on elite Premier League stars such as Alexis Mac Allister and Declan Rice.

Ince wants United to enter talks with Villa for England centre-forward Watkins amid concerns over the goalscoring ability of current No 9 Rasmus Hojlund.

“If you picked your best 11 players from the Premier League, you wouldn’t have one United player in there,” he told The Telegraph.

“And you probably could have said that in the last six or seven years. How can Liverpool go and sign the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister, and Arsenal get Declan Rice?

“Why haven’t United been in the market for them? Are they looking in the right places? I don’t think they are right now, so it’s a big summer for everyone involved at the club, that’s for sure.

“They badly need more firepower and I’m looking at someone like Ollie Watkins – a striker who can actually score goals – as a player United need to be going for.”

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Solskjaer did want Rice at Man Utd

Former United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has previously confirmed he wanted to sign the likes of Rice, Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham before they became world-class players.

However, United decided to pursue different targets, and they have been paying the price for those missed opportunities in recent years.

Watkins could be a great signing for United as he is a proven Premier League goalscorer, having found the back of the net 16 times in 38 appearances this term.

Villa boss Unai Emery called Watkins ‘fantastic’ after he bagged against Bournemouth to become the club’s record goalscorer in the Premier League. That strike also guaranteed Villa European football for next season.

United fans might want a more glamorous name to join their club and replace Hojlund, such as Viktor Gyokeres, Victor Osimhen or Benjamin Sesko.

But United cannot be overly picky given the fact they have failed to qualify for any European competition.

INEOS hoped to bring in Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap but he has chosen Chelsea instead due to them being in the Champions League.

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