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Erik ten Hag 'prefers three forwards to Atletico Madrid's Joao Felix'

Erik ten Hag 'prefers three forwards to Joao Felix'
© Reuters
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag reportedly prefers as many as three strikers to wantaway Atletico Madrid attacker Joao Felix.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag reportedly does not view Atletico Madrid's Joao Felix as one of his leading attacking targets.

The 22-year-old has struggled to make a consistent impact at the Wanda Metropolitano since commanding a £114.5m fee to leave Benfica three years ago.

Felix has come up with 29 goals and 18 assists in 124 outings for Diego Simeone's side, and he has not been a regular starter in the final third during the 2022-23 season.

Amid competition from Antoine Griezmann, Alvaro Morata, Matheus Cunha and Angel Correa, Felix has started just seven games in all tournaments and is yet to find the back of the net.

The Portugal international is contracted to the capital club until the summer of 2026, but he is thought to want out in January as he aims to end his ill-fated stint in Madrid.

Atletico Madrid's Joao Felix pictured on August 15, 2022© Reuters

Any hopes Felix had of joining Man United appear to be slim, though, as The Mirror claims that he is not even in Ten Hag's top three attacking targets for 2023.

The Red Devils are widely expected to search for a new number nine next year in anticipation of Cristiano Ronaldo's expected exit, and the report claims that Ten Hag prefers a number of other options to Felix.

One of them is Lille and Canada talisman Jonathan David, who helped steer Les Dogues to the Ligue 1 title in 2020-21 and already has nine goals from 12 top-flight games this season - level with Neymar and one behind Kylian Mbappe at the top of the goalscoring charts.

A strong performance at the World Cup for Canada could also help drum up interest in the 22-year-old, who is contracted to Lille until 2025 but is expected to move on at the end of the season.

Real Madrid and Chelsea are reportedly ready to rival Man United for David, and the report adds that Bayer Leverkusen's Patrik Schick is also thought to be a prime target for the Red Devils.

Lille's Jonathan David during the warm up before the match on January 22, 2022© Reuters

The Czech Republic international has only scored three goals in 15 matches this season during a difficult start personally and club-wise, although he hit 24 goals in 27 Bundesliga games last term.

Xabi Alonso's side are under no pressure to sell this summer, though, as Schick committed himself to a new contract with Leverkusen until 2027 earlier this year.

Finally, Lyon attacker Moussa Dembele - who was strongly linked with a switch to Old Trafford in 2020 - is the third and final name on Ten Hag's wishlist.

The 26-year-old is due to become a free agent at the end of the season and has struggled to earn weekly starts in the Lyon XI this term following Alexandre Lacazette's return from Arsenal.

Man United are set to scope out the attacking market following Ronaldo's refusal to come on as a substitute against Tottenham Hotspur, which led to him being dropped for the weekend's draw with Chelsea.

The 37-year-old will be expected to leave either in January or when his contract expires in the summer, but Man United are reportedly not prepared to sign a replacement midway through the season.

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Joao Felix in action for Atletico Madrid on August 21, 2022
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