Former Manchester United striker Louis Saha has encouraged the club to recruit Karim Benzema to help them fix their goal-scoring problems.

The former France international wants the Red Devils to recruit his countryman Karim Benzema from Al-Ittihad because he believes the veteran striker would be a huge boost for the struggling United squad. He also chastised the team’s management for failing to provide enough help to Rasmus Hojlund in the attacking third, which has resulted in the striker’s goal drought in his debut season in the Premier League.

“He [Benzema] will shake up the United frontline, and that’s what they need,” Saha told BettingOdds.com. He will undoubtedly score goals and improve the flow of the game. It’s just a fantasy, but Karim is still a very professional guy, and he’s the type of striker from whom Hojlund will learn.”

“It’s the right club for him [Hojlund], but it’s unfair to put him in charge of the number nine position alone without an experienced player around him,” he continued. Talented wingers and offensive midfielders can exist, but being a striker requires a different mindset. You need someone to show you runs in the box, and I don’t think he can see them because the Premier League is a difficult league for that. I was a teammate of [Ruud] Van Nistelrooy and [Ole Gunnar] Solskjaer. “I had the opportunity to study those legends and learn my runs and skills from them.”

Goals have been a huge issue for the Premier League heavyweights this season, as they have only found the back of the goal 22 times in 20 games. In terms of goals scored, they are tied with Crystal Palace, with only Burnley and Sheffield United scoring fewer than Erik ten Hag’s side. Hojlund, who joined the club in the summer, scored his first league goal on Christmas Eve against Aston Villa.

Ten Hag’s side, who have only won one of their past four Premier League games, will be hoping to start 2024 on a high note. Their first game of the season will be against Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup on January 8.