Erik ten Hag will be pleased that his Manchester United side managed to secure just their second win of the season by a three-goal margin against Everton in the Premier League.
Despite a turbulent start to the season, the win has them currently sitting in sixth place in the table and just six points off the summit.
With a Champions League clash against Galatasaray on Wednesday, United know they need to win to stand any chance of progressing to the knockout stages.
This will be at the forefront of Ten Hag’s mind, but with the January transfer window fast approaching, he could be distracted by the numerous transfer links and interest that United have shown in a few players.
Another name has recently emerged as a potential new signing for the Dutchman, although this potential move may not occur until the end of the current campaign.
Man Utd transfer news
According to journalist Christian Falk from German news outlet BILD (via TEAMtalk), the Old Trafford side made an attempt to bring Bayern Munich star Thomas Müller to Manchester during the previous January transfer window, and could do so again in the next few weeks.
The 34-year-old is currently in the final year of his contract at Bayern, and it remains to be seen whether they extend this into the 2024/25 campaign.
The German has won everything there has to be won for his club, while also winning the World Cup for his country back in 2014 and there is no doubt he would bring a wealth of experience into the club, along with a serial winner mentality which is urgently required.
Is it really the sort of deal Sir Jim Ratcliffe wishes to be making, however? Indeed, according to the Guardian last month, Ratcliffe questioned United’s transfer policy during his visit to the club in March, and he was especially critical of the decision to bring Casemiro to the club for such a big fee, despite the player being in his 30s.
Muller is much older than the Brazilian and while he wouldn’t cost a transfer fee as such, he currently earns £340k-per-week at the Bundesliga side, and he would surely be expecting a similar weekly wage if he moved to the Premier League.
Muller is a wonderful player and was even dubbed “remarkable” by his then-coach for the German national side, Jurgen Klinsmann, during the 2014 World Cup, yet this move could have shades of Bastian Schweinsteiger about it from 2015…
Bastian Schweinsteiger’s statistics at Man United
Following a career laden with trophies at Bayern, the winger-turned-midfielder decided to try something new and joined the Red Devils in the summer of 2015 for a fee in the region of around £14.5m, which looked like a bargain at the time.
The German had made 500 appearances for the European superpower, winning the Champions League and eight Bundesliga titles since making his debut during the 2002/2003 season.
Over the next 13 years, he emerged as one of the best players in the league as he slowly moved from a naturally attacking position on the wing to a more central role and this worked well to his advantage, becoming a key player for club and country in this slot.
His move to England didn’t go well at all, however, as he struggled to make an impression in the starting XI. Indeed, he made only 35 appearances for the club with just 22 of them starts as he suffered numerous injury problems.
The midfielder missed 29 matches due to these issues and, less than two years since arriving in England, it was announced that the midfielder was moving to the MLS to join Chicago Fire.
It didn’t work out at all for the former midfielder and a move for Muller may just be a repeat of this disastrous move.
Thomas Müller’s statistics at Bayern Munich
It is difficult to really put a finger on just what position Muller is best at. The 34-year-old was dubbed the Raumdeuter a few years ago and this translates into the interpreter of space, meaning the German utilises his attacking skills and movement abilities to create plenty of space in and around the penalty area, making him so effective in an attacking sense.
Well, you don’t win the Golden Boot on your World Cup debut (five goals in 2010) without having some savvy in front of goal and Muller has been clinical throughout his whole career.
7
1
8
4
15
6
1.4
1.4
0.9
0.4
The 6 foot 1 dynamo has featured in nearly 700 matches for the German giants since making his debut way back in 2008, scoring 237 goals and registering 261 assists in the process, stunning figures.
Since the start of the 2022/23 campaign, however, his goalscoring antics have calmed down slightly, as he scored just eight times last term, while netting only twice in 14 matches during the current season.
In the German top flight this season, Muller ranks in a lowly 13th spot across the squad for shots on target per game (0.4) while also ranking seventh for key passes per game (1.7) and fifth for goals and assists (five), proving that he isn’t quite having the same impact as he has done in previous seasons.
Although Ten Hag is reportedly interested, what could Muller offer aside from that winner's mentality discussed previously?
He has been a wonderful player over the previous 15 years for both club and country, yet if he did sign for the Red Devils next summer, he would be turning 35 in September while also earning a staggering wage every week.
The Dutchman would be better off scouring the transfer market for young players who are yet to hit their peak and develop them into world-class talents, rather than sign an ageing gem who won't make as big an impact as desired.
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Schweinsteiger failed to really impress after moving from the Bundesliga to the Premier League, and he was two years younger than Muller.
Ratcliffe does look set to prioritise signing younger players over ones who are in their 30s, and it could well be one of the best things the club do with regard to improving their team.