Manchester United hasn’t done much in the January transfer season, but in the final week before the deadline, things might change.

Erik ten Hag is eager to bolster his team, which hasn’t played well this year. But perhaps next summer, Sir Jim Ratcliffe would like to make a bold statement to begin his Man United journey.

Man United’s hunt for a fresh offensive player

This week, the Spanish news source Sport reported that Real Madrid is prepared to part with Vinicius Junior in order to finance a deal for Kylian Mbappe, the star player at PSG.

Real Madrid champions Vinicius Jr.
Football365 has reported that United may make an incredible £172 million offer for the Brazilian in the summer as a result of this.

Even if it is highly doubtful, Ineos might search for a top talent to centre their Red Devils project around.

Timo Werner from Real Madrid
The figures indicating Vinicus would improve Hojlund

After joining Man United for £72 million in the summer from Atalanta, Rasmus Hojlund, then 20 years old, has found it difficult to adjust to the Premier League and the demands of starting at the front of the team. In 16 Premier League games, he has scored two goals and given one assist.

The Dane has, nevertheless, shown a great deal of promise. His nine good chances this season are evidence of how occasionally his finishing lets him down.

However, the forward has been outstanding in the Champions League, tallying five goals, and he has already scored twice in his past two Premier League games, against Spurs and Aston Villa.

United Champions League – Hojlund Man – Copenhagen
The table below provides some proof of how much Hojlund’s output would increase if Vinicius Jr. were to sign; it includes a few of the Real Madrid star’s most recent statistics.

Vinicius vs skilled midfielders and wingers in European events and the Top Five Men’s Leagues

Statistics (per 90)

Vinicius

Rank percentile

Objectives

0.42

Top 10%

Helps

0.42

Top 2%

Shot-producing manoeuvres

5.21

Top 10%

Touches using an ATTT pen

9.52

Top 1%

Effective attacks

4.28

Top 1%

enters the penalty area

4.97

Top 1%

Statistics through FBref

Vinicius has been called “unstoppable” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig in the past, and the numbers above make it very difficult to argue against that assessment.

Seven is an unstoppable dribbling monster with limitless ingenuity. His carrying and dribbling statistics attest to his extreme agility and direct approach, which make him an ideal opponent to weave around.

As seen by his xG ranking in the bottom 13% of Premier League strikers, Hojlund is currently living off scraps. The sheer volume of creation coming from Vinicius would give him more opportunities in front of goal.

Moreover, Vinicius’s ability to draw players out of position would allow the Dane much more room to manoeuvre in the box and force opponents to occasionally double up on him in an effort to counter his game plan.

Premier League transfer: Vini Jr. Madrid Man United Rashford
Based on his ranking in the top 10% of goal scorers worldwide, Vinicus is also one of the world’s best goal scorers. The 23-year-old would, however subtly, emerge as Ten Hag’s major asset, eventually relieving Hojlund of the burden of scoring every goal, much like Mohamed Salah did for Liverpool when he replaced Roberto Firmino.

All in all, United might consider the £172 million to have been a great investment because, in addition to gaining an immediate star, they would also be gaining a potential “legend in the making,” according to the previously mentioned Kulig.