The Manchester United supporters will really just want this awful season to be over with.

Still, Sir Jim Ratcliffe is optimistic that Erik ten Hag’s club may turn around their campaign and sneak into the Champions League before season’s end.

By the end of the month, the Red Devils intend to add a new member to the team.

A solution to United’s offensive problems

GiveMeSport’s Fabrizio Romano reports that Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has been the subject of internal discussions at United.

Eric, Maxim Choupo, Moting (Bayern)
The English club is “appreciated” for the 34-year-old, according to the transfer specialist.

Financial fair play regulations will prohibit United from spending a lot of money on the Bayern player, therefore any move will only be a temporary loan agreement till the end of the current campaign.

The announcement coincides with speculation about a potentially much more dramatic move in the works. According to sources, the Red Devils have discussed signing Karim Benzema in the wake of Anthony Martial’s injury.

Cho-Jadon-Bukayo-Saka
The figures that demonstrate Choupo-Moting might come back Anthony

For Antony, his time as a Manchester United player has not been particularly memorable. The Brazilian arrived at Old Trafford with a massive £86 million fee and high expectations, following in Ten Hag’s footsteps from Ajax. In the present day, the 23-year-old has been the team’s goal scorer for the entire season and has been dubbed the “flop of the season” by Tony Casacrino of talkSPORT.

The left-footed winger has been a bit unfortunate this season, lacking only the production from some respectable performances despite being a hard player to watch. Furthermore, he hasn’t been given the right atmosphere to thrive, which is more a recruitment problem than a player error.

Premier League Manchester United Jayden Addai Antony Rasmus Hojlund
But Choupo-Moting might have the ideal profile to help Antony finally succeed when wearing a United shirt. Some of the striker’s most telling statistics from the previous season are displayed in the table below.

Choupo-statistics Moting’s

Statistics (per 90)

Chopo-Moting

The percentile

Objectives

0.54

Top 21%

Touches using an ATTT pen

6.86

Top 7%

Passes obtained

31.23

Top 11%

Pass completion percentage

79.7%

Top 9%

Pass keys

1.53

Top 12%

Statistics through FBref

Although Antony lacks the speed or strength to break free and outmuscle a player like Marcus Rashford on the other side, he plays well in a well-organized attacking formation where he can link well with teammates. His placement in the top 6% and top 1% of Ajax’s 2021/22 Champions League players for touches in the offensive third and passes into the penalty area, respectively, according to FBref, demonstrates this.

Julian Nagelsmann, the former manager of Bayern, has called Choupo-Moting a “out-and-out centre forward.” His high pass completion %, high passes received, and critical passes demonstrate his exceptional ability to link play. The £116k-per-week Cameroonian player would significantly reduce Antony’s isolation on the right and increase the frequency with which he might slide inside onto his left foot.

United Premier League, Newcastle, Ten Hag, Antony Man
With Rasmus Hojlund rarely coming up for the ball and United lacking a real number nine in the previous season—as seen by the fact that he ranks in the bottom 13% and bottom 4% of the Premier League for touches and passes attempted, respectively—that aspect of Antony’s game is still undiscovered.

The Brazilian finished the competition in the top 6% for xA, so having a finisher like Choupo-Moting in the box would give him a consistent goal to strive for and let his inventiveness show.

It’s obvious that Choupo-Moting has the potential to keep Antony’s career at Manchester United alive, so forget about that particular Benzema from earlier.