With the transfer window’s closure fast approaching, Louis van Gaal has decided to take a huge gamble by telling Javier Hernandez that he is free to leave Manchester United this summer, the Daily Telegraph report.
The Telegraph claim that the 27-year-old has been told that he can go after his penalty miss during the Champions League play-off tie with Club Brugge in midweek.
Should the Mexican find another club, van Gaal will have just a couple of days to bolster his attacking options, or face playing the first few months of the season with just Wayne Rooney as the squad’s only out-and-out striker.
While the Telegraph suggest that the Dutchman is prepared to use the likes of Marouane Fellaini and Adnan Januzaj as makeshift forwards, the Red Devils are considering a move for Southampton man Sadio Mane, and could pay over £20m to bring him to Old Trafford.
A slightly less likely option appears to be a surprising move for former AC Milan forward Alexandre Pato, the Telegraph suggest. Despite holding talks with the 25-year-old, the Telegraph claim that the Premier League side are less keen on a move for the Brazil international. Unlike Mane however, Pato is a natural striker so would probably provide Rooney with more support down the centre than the 23-year-old would.
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