Manchester United's season so far may not have gone to plan, but Sir Jim Ratcliffe may still be confident that they can secure European football for next season.
Numerous staff have already exited the club, and that could be the case for some players in the squad as well, with United being linked to targets across all departments.
However, it is the striker role that has been identified as a priority position to upgrade by Erik ten Hag before the deadline passes at the start of February.
Man United's striker search
According to talkSPORT, Man United could have the chance to sign Callum Wilson for a fee of between £18m and £20m this month as Newcastle United look to ease concerns over Premier League profit and sustainability rules.
The report claims that West Ham and Chelsea have been alerted to his availability, whilst The Sun named United as one of the other clubs potentially in the race for his services.
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ByCharlie SmithFeb 1, 2024 How Callum Wilson would fit in the United XI
The 31-year-old has been a steady goalscorer for the last six years in particular, but Wilson has always been unfortunately hindered by injuries.
This season has been his worst to date in terms of setbacks, missing 14 games already, but he has been excellent when on the field, as he's netted seven goals in 14 Premier League appearances.
United's loyal fans will be relishing the prospect of signing another striker from the Magpies during January, with Andy Cole's move from Newcastle to Manchester in 1995 being a huge success.
The forward has been dubbed "one of the club's great strikers" by the official Man United website, as over his 275 appearances for the side, he scored 125 goals and formed a dangerous partnership with Dwight Yorke.
Therefore, let's look at Wilson's statistics from this season that suggest he could become United's next Cole.
Goals
0.87
Top 6%
Shots total
3.59
Top 11%
Shot-creating actions
1.86
Bottom 18%
Progressive passes received
6.93
Top 21%
Touches (Att pen)
7.30
Top 9%
As you can see, Wilson is a centre-forward whose game solely revolves around putting the ball in the back of the net and causing havoc in the attack.
The former Bournemouth star has been dubbed "ruthless" by football journalist Chris Waugh, and his goals per game ranking in the top 6% this season proves that. This makes him similar to Cole, who was known for being a true goalscorer and holding the joint previous record for most goals in a Premier League season.
Wilson is not the type of striker to be heavily involved in the creative side of the game, but he thrives with his back to goal and inside the penalty area.
His role at United would be to provide a rotation option for Rasmus Hojlund, which would allow Ten Hag to manage the Englishman's minutes and give United a reliable goalscorer, unlike the young Dane, who's netted just twice in 16 Premier League games.
Overall, the signing of Wilson may not be one that would get the fans overly excited, but he could prove to be an excellent buy for a relatively cheap fee in today's market.
He has found the back of the net 25 times from 28 starts in the Premier League since the start of last season and could, like Cole, come in as a prolific scorer from Newcastle for the Red Devils.