Antony has gone but Man United need complete overhaul and one player could change their whole team

01/24/2025 04:43 PM

Troy Deeney has named the one player who could change Manchester United’s entire team for the better.

Antony may be heading out the door as the £84million man closes in on a loan move to Real Betis, but Amorim’s squad still require a large overhaul, with Deeney naming the one player who could provide that.

When asked which position Man United should focus on in the January window, the talkSPORT host gave a blunt response.

“Everywhere,” he said. “They need a goalkeeper, another centre half, a left back, two midfielders and a striker”.

Asked to pick just one player who would be a game-changing signing for the struggling Red Devils, Deeney admitted suggested Victor Gyokeres.

The Sporting star has an incredible strike rate of 77 goals in 82 games for the Portuguese side, putting him firmly on the radar of Europe’s top clubs with a view to a summer deal.

Asked if Gyokeres would be a good signing to reunite with ex-Sporting boss Amorim, Deeney said: “That shirt’s just a bit heavier than you think.

“I think playing for Coventry and even Sporting to a degree doesn’t set you up to be really good for Manchester United,” he added.

Deeney did, however, offer one name which would ‘change the whole team’.

“For 90% of teams in world football, if you sign Alexander Isak, your whole team would change,” he said.

Deeney said that the Newcastle United was the best striker in the world at present, with the Sweden international chasing a possible Premier League Golden Boot with 17 goals already this term.

“The amount of goals [he scores] and you have to look at what he does

“He’s probably better with his back to play than [Erling] Haaland”.

Having scored 15 goals and registered a further five assists, Isak is just three goals behind Mohamed Salah in the Golden Boot race.

Man City’s Haaland is second to Salah on 17 goals, although Deeney remains confident in the Norweigan’s abilities despite having a ‘bad’ season.

“[Isak] is better at linking play, he makes very intelligent runs. Haaland is what we used to call a poacher, like a Gary Lineker that used to be on the end of everything.

“Isak is more of a striker. He’s like an advanced forward if you play FIFA. You can do a little bit of everything.

“If I was building a team today, I’m taking Haaland every day of the week because the guy’s hardly ever injured and he plays 50 games a season and he scores like 45 goals.

“His bad season is some people’s best ever season,” Deeney said.

While signing a Haaland is out of the question for Man United, supporters will be desperate to see Amorim’s squad take shape in the coming months so that they can finally challenge at the top of the table once again.