We signed Randal Kolo Muani for Manchester United and he was fantastic
Randal Kolo Muani is another top striker who has been linked with a move to Manchester United this summer
We signed Randal Kolo Muani for Manchester United and he was fantastic
A new striker is a priority for Manchester United in the summer transfer window and Randal Kolo Muani is one of Erik ten Hag’s shortlisted forwards.
After winning the Carabao Cup, reaching the FA Cup final and finishing in the Premier League top four, Ten Hag’s first season at United was a very successful one. But there is still room for improvement and it looks like a new striker will be the starting point for United.
Marcus Rashford has featured but given Anthony Martial’s injury record, a move to Old Trafford has been linked with plenty of new attacking options, including Frankfurt’s Kolo Muani. The French striker has registered 23 goals and 14 assists in all competitions for the German side which has led to the 24-year-old being linked with both United and Bayern Munich. So, if United signed Kolo Muani, could the striker solve United’s striker problem? We see.
Enterprising teenager at 18 probably the youngest landlady in Britain
To set up this simulation, we used the Football Manager 2023 Editor to ensure the 24-year-old joins United on 1 July 2023, using FM23 to run the simulation. We then simulated the entire 2023/24 season to see how the French international would perform.
With Kolo Muani in the squad, Ten Hag opted to use the new signing in almost every game, with the striker making 55 appearances in all competitions. Martial rarely got a whiff due to Kolo Muani’s incredible goalscoring record, with the Frenchman netting 27 goals and four assists in his first season with the club.
Randal Kolo Muani’s first season at United (Image: Football Manager 2023)
A fantastic quality of Kolo Muani was his availability, with the striker avoiding injury throughout the season, starting all 38 Premier League games for United, scoring 21 goals and providing three assists. He also impressed in the Champions League, scoring four goals and assisting one in 10 appearances, while the 24-year-old has scored once in both the FA and Carabao Cup.
Kolo Muani has not averaged his highest scoring per game (6.95), with the Carabao Cup and Champions League being his league bests by that measure. He has also won just one Player of the Match award, with only one striker in the United side having won the fewest. United’s top scorers in the 2023/24 season (Image: Football Manager 23)
Rashford again impressed with 16 points, seven assists and winning 11 Player of the Match awards while averaging United’s highest average team rating (7.42). Antony enjoyed his best season to date as the winger netted 14 goals and provided nine assists, while Bruno Fernandes recorded his most assists for United in a season with 18 assists in the simulation.
At the end of the 2023/24 season, Football Manager 2023 has compiled United’s best overall squad based on performance, statistics and other metrics. Here’s what United’s best XI looked like at the end of the 2023/24 season, as predicted by Football Manager 2023:
Best complete United team (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Malacia; Casemiro, Ericsen; Anthony, Fernandes, Rashford; Kolo Muani.
After a superb first season at United, Kolo Muani was in the top 11, leading the attack, supported by Antony, Fernandes and Rashford. With the Frenchman up front, United again impressed in the Premier League, taking third place for the second year in succession.
United finished third in the Premier League (Image: Football Manager 23)
With a total of 22 wins, nine draws and seven defeats, Ten Hag’s team finished the season with 75 points – exactly the same number as in the 2022/23 season. Aston Villa proved to be the surprise package of the season with Unai Emery leading his side to second place, while Chelsea grabbed the last place in the top four, finishing two points behind United.
Compared to last season, United were better in attack and defence, scoring 12 more goals and conceding seven fewer. But they didn’t have much success in the cups and didn’t win a trophy in the simulation. United have failed to win any trophies in the 2023/24 season (Image: Football Manager 23)
After six of their six group stage wins, United were knocked out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals after a 2-1 aggregate defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. United lost 5–3 on aggregate in the Carabao Cup semi-final to Newcastle United, while their FA Cup journey ended in the fourth round after a 2–0 defeat to Arsenal.