Ruben Amorim urged to re-sign £16m star as first Man Utd January transfer

Louis Saha believes a former Manchester United striker would make a ‘huge difference’ if he returned to the club in January.

United are open to bolstering Ruben Amorim’s squad in next month’s transfer window following an encouraging first-half to the season.

Amorim appeared to be on the verge of the sack following a poor start to the campaign but United have since improved to climb to sixth in the Premier League.

A new dominant central midfielder and a dynamic wing-back are believed to be Amorim’s two priority signings, though he accepts the nature of the January window means United may in fact keep their powder dry until the summer.

Amorim was keen to sign a new midfielder last summer and the likes of Carlos Baleba, Adam Wharton and Elliot Anderson have emerged as targets for the Red Devils.

A new wing-back is also on Amorim’s wishlist following Patrick Dorgu and Diogo Dalot’s mixed form in that position.

Manchester United are not expected to sign any new forwards, having spend almost £200m on Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha last summer.

But Saha has urged his former club to launch a shock move for ex-United striker Danny Welbeck, insisting he would make a ‘huge difference’ on and off the pitch.

‘I would have loved Manchester United to sign Danny at the start of the season,’ Saha told the Pundit Arena. ‘He’s not just very talented, but he’s very efficient and he’s experienced.

‘When I came to the club, there was Van Nistelrooy and Solskjaer, but we had more than that. We had Tevez and Alan Smith, and there was depth, there was a variety. We all learned from each other.

‘I think Sesko and other forward players would benefit by having someone like Welbeck to challenge them, to make them learn more about the game, more about positioning.

‘Welbeck’s experience would give an example for them to all learn from, and I think if Danny arrives in the winter transfer window, he could make a huge difference to results on the pitch.’

Welbeck made over 100 appearances for Manchester United after coming through the Old Trafford academy.

Louis van Gaal decided to move Welbeck on and he ended up at Arsenal and Watford before his current successful spell with Brighton.

Welbeck, 35, is in the form of his life on the south coast, already scoring seven goals in the Premier League this season to raise hopes of a call-up to England’s squad for next summer’s World Cup.

While Sesko might benefit from playing alongside an experienced striker like Welbeck, Saha insists the Manchester United summer signing has ‘enormous potential’ and could ‘take off’ at Old Trafford.

United beat a number of clubs in the race to sign Sesko, spending £74m to bring the Slovenia international from RB Leipzig.

Sesko is yet to live up to that steep price-tag, however, scoring just twice in 12 appearances before his injury lay-off.

‘I think Sesko has done okay because he’s coming from a new league,’ Saha added. ‘He showed his talent in Germany with RB Leipzig, and now he’s starting to show it in the Premier League.

‘His potential is enormous. People may think that it’s easy to just join a team in transition like Manchester United with the pressure and all that.

‘I can see that he’s got all the qualities to improve – he just needs to score one or two goals in some big games and I think his United career will really take off.

‘I’ve seen enough of him to think that he’s a very impressive lad. He’s done well enough so far.

‘When you have two other players as well in that front line, like Cunha and Mbeumo in, it’s not easy to adapt right away, in the team and to each other.

‘In the months played so far you can see there are big things coming. Hopefully with Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo coming through too, we will see goals. 

‘I hope we’ll be not just creating chances but putting the opposition under real pressure. It’s going to be a joy to watch.

‘I can see a bit of Edin Dzeko about him, the Dzeko that played for Manchester City. I think in his stature, there’s a little bit of Ruud van Nistelrooy, but that’s where the comparison ends for now.

‘I think Ruud had a unique eye for goal that I just haven’t seen in any other player. Ruud was a different animal, whereas Sesko is happy to play more for the team.

‘Ruud was ruthless in front of goal, very focused, almost selfish. That’s a very difficult thing to learn, and I think that United need to give Benjamin a player like that to train and play with, to develop those skills.

‘I think that’s missing at the club right now, so it’s the kind of learning he’ll have to figure out for himself, and that’s a mistake from United that they need to put right. Right now, they’re making him do that work alone.’

Sesko has not featured for United since early November due to a knee injury sustained in the 2-2 draw with Tottenham.

The 22-year-old missed training again on Thursday as his Manchester United teammates prepared for Monday’s clash against Bournemouth.

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.