Man Utd have “discussed” making a move for Freiburg’s giant centre-forward Igor Matanovic, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

Speaking on The United Stand YouTube channel, the talkSPORT reporter said that both the Red Devils and Spurs have been keeping tabs on the Croatian international:

“I heard the other day that Igor Matanovic is another name that’s been discussed, who is almost like a basketball player.”

“He is, I think, like 6 ft 6, and Tottenham were the other club that have taken a look at him in the last few weeks, and there’s an element of the Benjamin Sesko to him in terms of profile, but he falls more into a younger kind of category rather than a proven and finished Premier League product.”

What do Man Utd fans need to know about the striker?

Matanovic was born in Germany, and he came through the youth ranks of St Pauli, making his senior debut against VfL Osnabrück in November 2020.

Eintracht Frankfurt signed him the following year, but he was loaned straight back to St Pauli, where he spent two further seasons. Up until 2023, he had not really blossomed into a goalscorer, but all that changed after he was loaned out to Karlsruhe.

During the 2023/24 season, Matanovic found the back of the net 14 times, and it led to him becoming part of Frankfurt’s first team on his return in the summer of 2024.

However, the Croatian struggled to get minutes, and he was subsequently sold to Freiburg last year for €6.7m. His first twelve months at his new club were an unqualified success, scoring 15 times in 50 appearances.

Matanovic may only be pursued if Zirkzee is sold

Jacobs did emphasise that if a buyer can’t be found for Joshua Zirkzee, then United will be forced into looking at cheaper, older players to add depth up front.

Zirkzee does have several suitors in Italy, including Juventus, but so far, no formal offers have been made for the Dutchman.

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