Manchester United Plan Swoop for Veteran Juventus and Croatia Forward as Lukaku Backup
Manchester United are considering a surprise move for Croatian international Mario Mandzukic, according to reports in Italy.
The 32-year-old forward joined Juventus from Atletico Madrid in 2015, and has impressed for his nation at the World Cup, scoring one goal in the process of helping Croatia reach the quarter-final stage. United Boss Jose Mourinho has apparently taken notice of the veteran and sees him as ideal cover for Romelu Lukaku.
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The Manchester club will look to use Juventus' interest in defender Matteo Darmian to entice the Turin outfit into parting ways with Mandzukic, according to il Gazzetta dello Sport (via Team Talk).
The Italian has been drawing a lot of interest from clubs in Serie A, which should give United a hefty amount of leverage on negotiations for Juve's forward.
But the arrival of Mandzukic - who scored 10 goals and added four assists in 43 matches for the Old Lady last season - could further limit Marcus Rashford's opportunities at Old Trafford.
The 20-year-old England international primarily came off the bench last season under Mourinho, but it remains to be seen if the same fait awaits him next season - especially as the youngster showed exceptional composure to slot away his spot kick in England's win over Colombia on Tuesday evening.
Rashford has hinted at his irritation at failing to nail down a regular starting spot at Old Trafford, saying: “Every player will tell you that it is always frustrating when you don’t start.
“(But) if I know I’m improving to the player I was a year ago or six months ago then that’s good enough for me. It’s not about competing against other people. Ultimately you’re competing against yourself.
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“At the level we’re playing at here, being in an England camp or whether it is at the club, you have to really understand that and you can almost take bits from other people’s game to try and bring your own game on.
“(United manager Jose Mourinho) has got 20-25 players in the squad and he has to pick the best team to play each game. He got it right most of the time last season but we need a bit extra to push for the title.”
