Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher have criticised Man United for their lack of investment in a new striker, but have defended Wayne Rooney.
United sold Robin Van Persie this summer, as he followed Radamel Falcao and Danny Welbeck out of the exit door to leave Rooney as the club’s leading striker.
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Javier Hernandez has also been linked with an exit from Old Trafford ahead of Tuesday’s transfer deadline, and Neville and Carragher believe that Louis Van Gaal would be making a mistake if he didn’t replace the Mexican or bring another man in.
“In terms of Man United and bringing a striker in before Deadline Day, United needed a striker when Welbeck went. Not necessarily straight away, but as soon as Welbeck went, with the age profile of Falcao, Rooney and Van Persie, it was obvious in 12 months’ time they were going to need a 23, 24 year old striker to come in,” Carragher told Sky Sports.
Meanwhile, Neville insisted that Rooney’s hat-trick in mid-week in the Champions League playoff clash against Club Brugge will give him confidence, and he backs his former teammate to deliver the goals for the club.
“They’ve got to stick with him, there’s no doubt about that. He’s proven over many, many years he’s a top striker who will score goals. But they do need support behind him to be able to change the game.
“I actually thought Chicharito coming on against Newcastle did change the game – he should have scored. But they do need another option up front. There’s talk of Chicharito being allowed to leave in the next couple of days but you can’t believe that will be allowed to happen without someone else coming in.”
Whether or not Van Gaal brings another player in remains to be seen, but the Dutch tactician is undoubtedly running out of time if he has his eyes on a striker in particular.
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