Monday 27 April 2020 09:36, UK
After 10 games, Manchester United currently sit eighth in the Premier League table, eight points behind joint leaders Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool.
It has hardly been the perfect start to life at Old Trafford for Jose Mourinho, who took the reins of the 20-time champions in May, replacing Louis van Gaal.
A solid opening to the 2016/17 campaign saw United follow up their 2-1 Community Shield victory over Leicester City by winning their first three league games.
But the Red Devils have won only one Premier League fixture since their last-gasp defeat of Hull City at the KCOM Stadium on August 27, taking just six points from a possible 21.
Rather alarmingly, the goals have dried up with Mourinho's side only scoring once in the Premier League during October in the 1-1 draw with Stoke.
Summer signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic netted four times in his first four league games, but has failed to score in his last six top-flight outings - his longest scoring drought for a decade. And having missed eight clear-cut chances so far this season, no Premier League player has been more profligate than the Swede.
Despite spending around £150m on four new signings this summer - bringing in Paul Pogba for a world record £89m fee, Eric Bailly from Villarreal and Henrikh Mkhitaryan from Borussia Dortmund, as well as Ibrahimovic from Paris Saint-Germain - Mourinho might need to return to the transfer market once again to fix his misfiring team.
Expectations remain high for the Portuguese, with many United fans backing him to turn the club's fortunes around. So, if new recruits are required, who should Mourinho be targeting to get the Red Devils firing again?
Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann is thought to be United's No 1 transfer target, with the Manchester Evening News reporting that the club will make a big-money offer for the Frenchman next summer.
Griezmann arrived at Atleti from Real Sociedad in a €30m deal in the summer of 2014. In San Sebastian, the player had largely been utilised as a speedy left winger, but Diego Simeone decided to reinvent the Macon-born star as a forward.
And the 25-year-old has thrived in his attacking role at the Vicente Calderon, scoring 65 goals in 120 games for Los Colchoneros.
Having fired France to the final of Euro 2016, as well as helping Atleti finish runners-up in last season's Champions League, Griezmann is now regarded as one of the best forwards in the world, and is a genuine contender for this year's Ballon d'Or.
This season, Griezmann has already scored eight goals in 13 appearances, as well as registering five assists.
With 1,085 minutes played, that gives the Les Bleus international an average of a goal every 136 minutes. By contrast, Ibrahimovic is currently finding the back of the net every 228 minutes on average.
Griezmann has also proven to be far more efficient than Ibrahimovic in terms of how many shots at goal each player has had this season.The Atletico player has attempted 39 strikes at goal this campaign, finding the target with 17 of those efforts for a shot accuracy of 56.7 per cent.
Meanwhile, Ibrahimovic has shot at goal 68 times, working the goalkeeper on 24 occasions, giving him an accuracy of 35.3 per cent. This means that, on average, the Swede requires 13.6 attempts for every goal he scores. Griezmann is far more productive, needing just 5.2 shots to score.
Standing just 5'9'' tall, Griezmann is a full eight inches shorter than the towering former AC Milan and Ajax forward. As such, the Swede comes out on top when assessing which of the two wins more aerial duels, with a success rate of 57.5 per cent compared to the Frenchman's 45.2 per cent.
Both players like to come deep to collect the ball and link with team-mates. Ibrahimovic can often be seen dropping off the front line to make himself available for a pass, while Griezmann is operating in a slightly deeper role than usual this season, acting as a second striker behind compatriot Kevin Gameiro.
When doing so, Griezmann has shown himself to be slightly better in possession than Ibrahimovic, completing 80 per cent of his passes compared to the United man's 78.1 per cent. However, both men are level pegging when it comes to creativity, having produced 14 chances each this season.
He may be the answer to many of their current problems, but if United are serious about signing Griezmann, he won't come cheap: the 38-cap France forward has a €100m release clause in his Atletico contract.
The Red Devils are also being linked with a move for Benfica defender Nelson "Nelsinho" Semedo. The Sun is reporting that United are eyeing a January move for the 22-year-old right back, with Matteo Darmian thought to be on his way out of Old Trafford.
Antonio Valencia, a winger by trade, has been United's first-choice right-back so far this season and the 31-year-old Ecuadorian has done well in the role.
But Mourinho stated his desire for a team of "specialists" in his very first press conference as manager, so a move to a natural right-sided defender could be on the cards.
Semedo has scored one and assisted one in 11 appearances for the Aguias, meaning he is involved in a goal every 445 minutes. Valencia, though, is yet to score or assist in his 872 minutes so far this campaign.
Nelsinho has also demonstrated his defensive abilities with 11 tackles, 23 interceptions and 78 successful duels.
The one-cap Portugal international comes with a hefty price tag, though, as Benfica are believed to value the player at €40m.
But United have already shown their willingness to spend such amounts on gifted young defenders, having paid £30m to sign Ivory Coast centre-back Bailly this summer.
