Manchester United have been offered two solutions to their ongoing Premier League struggles, as club football is just over a week from returning. Michael Carrick's side headed into the international break rescuing a draw away at Fulham, thanks to a late strike from Matheus Cunha.
Rooney highlights Rashford position issue
Wayne Rooney has declined to blame Marcus Rashford's goal drought this season on the 28-year-old battling a hip problem. Instead, the club's record goalscorer has suggested that the problem affecting Rashford's contribution is his position within the team, with the England international still to register a goal or assist across six outings.
"No, because I actually think he has done OK in games and he has looked lively and in some games he hasn't," Rooney said on the Stick to United podcast. "But I think in some of the games, he has actually looked quite lively and sharp."
"I think the issue is he's too far away from goal. That's the issue why he's not scoring or creating. He's playing too wide. He's playing too deep at times. With Marcus Rashford, with good attacking players who can score goals, you want to get them as close to the goal as possible, and I don't think he's close enough to the goal."
Ferdinand urges Benzema move
United legend Rio Ferdinand has urged the club to snap up former Real Madrid hero Karim Benzema as a free agent, citing the club's shortage of recognised strikers. Benjamin Sesko is yet to start a league fixture this campaign and sat out the Fulham stalemate with a shin problem, which forced him to pull out of the Slovenia squad.
"If you knew you had to manage his [Sesko] minutes, I totally agree with you. Without him, there isn't really a focal point," Ferdinand stated on his YouTube channel while discussing United's need for an additional striker.
"We've got players that want to come deep to the ball more often than not and get involved in the build-up, and then you lose that focal point out there."
"But if you had somebody up there who could share the minutes, share the load, help in terms of experience, lend that experience to Sesko for him to learn as well, you'd have been getting so much more out of just a signing to go and play the 90 minutes. Welbeck springs to mind, obviously, so does Benzema. Two players I feel would have added huge value to the forward line that we have."
