Cristiano Ronaldo is now a thing of the past. His shot-firing at Manchester United sees him rapidly fall down the club legend pecking order.

Replacing the GOAT is an easier task than you’d think. After all, his production just wasn’t there under Erik ten Hag.

Cody Gakpo is the name most linked. It makes sense. The Dutchman is in great form for his country.

However, journalist Florian Plettenberg has thrown another name into the mix; Jonathan David.

According to him, United have identified the 22-year-old Lille man as ‘another candidate’ for United in the mid-season window.

On top of that, David has been scouted ‘several times’ and he wants to make ‘the next step’. Plettenberg has also been told that Lille would ‘release’ David in the January window, for around £43m (€50m). I suppose you’re always going to pay a premium in the mid-season window.

Check out Florian Plettenberg’s tweet on the David news here:

David has nine goals for Lille in 15 appearances this season, which is obviously an impressive record. More than anything, the Canada international strikes me as someone who fits this Ten Hag system down to the ground.

It’s all about finding the right player. Either David or Gakpo would be huge upgrades on what we have up front, while the versatility both possess is another attractive point.

What I like about buying in the mid-season window is that there’s less competition for the player. However, there are negatives too. The price is often driven up, while it’s definitely harder for any player to adapt in January.

David is young and still learning his trade, so this one also has to be considered a minor gamble rather than a sure-fire home run signing.