Why free agent Jonathan David is the perfect striker for Manchester United | OneFootball

Desperate for a striker, Manchester United’s target for the number nine spot isn’t clear but the best solution may just be one of the cheapest.

Initially looking to go the budget route, United lost out on Liam Delap to Chelsea as Amorim and co have opted to allocate big funds to the number 10 roles with the signing of Matheus Cunha and the increasingly likely signing of Bryan Mbeumo.

With PSR and cash flow issues to consider, United will have to be shrewd in their movement for a striker as they cannot go into another season with Rasmus Hojlund’s four league goals last season leading the line.

Reported options of Viktor Gyokeres, Victor Osimhen, and Hugo Ekitike all bring their own issues, from obscene wages and high transfer fees to favouring a move to other clubs.

Gaps in United’s squad at midfield and keeper in particular mean United’s best option may be to avoid the touted asking prices of €80-100m for someone like Ekitike and rather dip into the free agent market to pick up a regular goalscorer while saving the funds to strengthen the spine of the team.

Up steps Jonathan David; the 25 year old is available on a free transfer after five successful seasons at Lille.

Arguably still to reach his prime, David has notched double digit goal figures for seven seasons in a row, every season of his professional career.

David has enjoyed a unique development path, He came through local amateur youth clubs in his native Ottawa, Canada. He specifically avoided MLS academies as he knew he would move to Europe as soon as he turned 18, which he did by joining Belgian club KAA Gent.

Finishing tied for the league’s golden boot in his second season in Belgium, David attracted the attention of many big clubs but opted for a more gradual step up with a move to Lille.

Initially, taking his time to adapt to life in France, it took three months for David to score his first league goal. But his form soon picked up as he struck up an old school striker partnership with Burak Yilmaz.

Finishing the season on 13 league goals, many of them were key to Lille winning Ligue 1 for the first time in 10 years and for just the fourth time in the club’s history.

Showing up in the big moments, David scored the winner against PSG in March of that year, a goal which was labelled as the title decider at the time.

Other important contributions included scoring in a 3-2 comeback win against Lyon and in the final game of the season to clinch the title.

Since then, David has continued to be the talisman at Lille, scoring 25 or more goals in three of four seasons and 19 in the other.

Beyond scoring goals, David’s availability has seen him make over 40 appearances in every season of his career, an attribute that could prove vital for a United side who have struggled with injury prone players in recent years.

What also makes David a perfect fit alongside new signing Matheus Cunha and potentially Bryan Mbeumo is his versatility and fluidness.

Playing under four different managers at Lille, David has excelled under each despite taking up very different roles and positions.

At first being used as an on-the-shoulder striker, David stretched the play with runs off target man Yilmaz to get in behind the backline.

Under Paulo Fonseca though, Lille became more possession oriented, which saw David often dropping into the left ten position to pick up the ball and offer an extra outlet in build up play.

Out of possession, Lille’s switch from a counter-attacking outfit to a counter-pressing side saw David learn a lot about leading the press, a role which he performed diligently with his hard running.

David’s skillset would allow for an added level of interchangeability as he drops deep to allow Cunha to run in behind or spearheads the attack with strong hold-up play.

Despite being under 6ft, David is more than capable of playing with his back to goal and handling strong centre backs. Possessing upper and lower body strength, he shows good technique when receiving the ball to hold off a challenge.

This strength combined with his ability to consistently pick quick passes around the box with both feet would be perfect for bringing United’s tens into play, something which United have struggled to do so far under Amorim with Hojlund as the focal point.

David’s security on the ball is exemplified with his 82.6% pass completion in the last year, a metric that puts him in the top two percent of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues.

The Canadian’s pass choices aren’t safe either, picking up an xA assist of 0.16 per 90, impressively slotting him into the 76th percentile of forwards along with being in the 81st percentile for passes into the penalty area.

David does not just excel at finding his teammates though, he is also able to make it easier for them to find him as well.

Despite being one of the most creative players in the world, even Bruno Fernandes has struggled to find Hojlund in the box due to the Danish striker’s reactive movements.

David on the other hand is proactive with his movements, whether it is running in behind or bending his runs to remain onside, something which he has perfected with just 0.33 offsides per 90 minutes compared to an average of 0.59 as per FBref.com.

With the Canadian’s flexibility, he seeks out spaces in the box, deep, and out wide which causes nightmares for defenders as he is always moving.

This coincides with David’s love for cutbacks, both receiving and providing. This fits perfectly into Amorim’s high wingback style, which has seen the likes of Amad and Dorgu favouring low cutbacks rather than aerial crosses.

The below is a good example of David’s ability to drift wide and then pick out the right pass in front of goal with the right 10 drifting inside to attack the net.

It isn’t just the pretty stuff that David can do but also the dirty stuff with his pressing and also having a knack for scoring a scrappy goal bouncing around the box.

The below goal which David scored against Ukraine to help Canada lift the 2025 Canadian Shield sees him the most alive in the box to tap in his own rebound.

The goal against Ukraine is also a good projection of his ability to connect with wingers, in this instance the left-footed wingback Tajon Buchanan, who shares many similarities with Amad Diallo attacking from the right.

The pairing combined again later in the same match when David headed in for his second of the match.

Despite the above, David’s aerial ability can leave a little to be desired.

Not the strongest in the air, David doesn’t regularly score headers but the above shows that he does have it in his arsenal and, in any case, it is not a skill that United or Amorim rely heavily on.

Another of David’s weaknesses is his threat from outside the box. Tending to prefer an inside foot technique to his shooting, the Canadian’s placement of his standing foot further forward than the ball doesn’t lend itself to long range shooting.

David’s recent goal against El Salvador at the Gold Cup as he snuck inside the box unmarked and was quickly able to finish after an expertly taken touch on the turn to open his body towards the far corner is an example of David’s preferred striking area.

But outside threat is an area that United don’t really require from their number nine as it is already covered by Bruno, Cunha, and Amad, which would allow David to focus on close-range threat inside the box, where United have really struggled.

In summary, Jonathan David is the perfect option this summer as a uniquely talented forward with a proven eye for goal and beneficial qualities in build-up play.

Financially, the move also makes sense as a free agent the big cost will be signing-on fees for David and his agent. This is reported to be in the €20-25 million range which as a transfer fee wouldn’t get United a striker of half the quality of David.

Additionally, the idea of higher wages for a free agent not making the move worth it doesn’t really add up. Even if United offer David an extra £30,000 per week than they would to a similar target, this adds up to only £6m over a four year contract.

Again, that is a very low amount when United’s other targets in Ekitike and Gyokeres are bringing in quotes of over €70m at the least while having no guarantee they can even step up to the Premier League.

Therefore, United should move for Jonathan David but they will need to move quickly. As now Canada have exited the Gold Cup, David will be making his choice with clubs like Juventus hot on his trail.

Featured image Vaughn Ridley via Getty Images

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