MANCHESTER UNITED manager Erik ten Hag has targeted Jonathan David, Patrik Schick and Moussa Dembele to replace Cristiano Ronaldo.
That is according to United boss.
The axe ultimately fell when the five-time Ballon d’Or winner refused to come on against Tottenham on Wednesday and stormed down the tunnel with injury time still to play.
As a result, the Dutch tactician didn’t include the star forward in the squad for Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Chelsea and ordered him to train by himself at Carrington.
And it seems like Ten Hag is now preparing for life after the Portugal international, who could leave as early as January.
Atletico Madrid ace Joao Felix was initially touted as Ronaldo‘s potential successor.
But Ten Hag appears to prefer a more goal-hungry, traditional striker rather than a forward that can be utilised in various roles up front.
That is why the ex-Ajax boss is keeping tabs on Lille’s David, Bayer Leverkusen’s Schick and Lyon’s Dembele.
All three strikers have been putting together some impressive displays in the last few years.
David has amassed a total of nine goals and three assists in 12 Ligue 1 appearances.
FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
Dembele, though, has had a slower start with two goals in his first nine league outings.
Schick also managed three goals in 15 games across all competitions due to an adductor problem.
