Mark Goldbridge: Unexciting and embarrassing - my verdict on Man United targets

Erik ten Hag is looking to add options to his strike force in the winter transfer window - new year, fresh start, a new Manchester United, right?

Well, as Goldbridge explains, not quite, as the Premier League club don't appear to have learned their lessons from numerous transfer mistakes in the past.

There is only one place to start after Tottenham moved ahead of Manchester United in the race for Timo Werner.

Goldbridge was writing before it emerged that the Red Devils are no longer frontrunners, but he didn't sound particularly keen anyway...

Timo Werner - RB Leipzig, loan

There are concerns about this - the major concerns across all of these targets is that they're just not at the level or excitement of what Manchester United need.

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You'd rather be going for Ivan Toney or Victor Osimhen.

But I believe in relation to what's available at the moment and the money Man United have, you've got to shop in a certain outlet where people like Werner are the most viable options.

I don't think Timo Werner at Chelsea was as bad as people think. I think he missed a lot of chances but his overall game is relatively decent.

And what we're looking at here is a short-term option until the summer, this is not a long-term signing unless he hits the ground running.

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I mean, as sad as it sounds, if it's Timo Werner or nothing, then I'm certainly going to take Timo Werner, and I think I'd also probably take Timo Werner over some of the other options linked around Manchester United.

Yeah, it's not exciting, but in January with no money I think this is about the peak of what Manchester United can achieve at the moment when you look at the likes of Wout Weghorst and Odion Ighalo from last time.

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting - Bayern Munich, loan

For me, that has to be one of the worst options we've been linked to.

At 34 years of age he's done OK at Bayern, but I think I would probably do OK at Bayern if you gave me a few games - there are so many good players there, they win the league every year.

I think to go from Bayern Munich at 34, where you dominate a league, to come and play at Manchester United where we don't and it's competitive, I just think that this would be up there with Weghorst.

It's one thing bringing in a Edinson Cavani or an Zlatan Ibrahimovic or a Cristiano Ronaldo well into their 30s, but Choupo-Moting is a big no. It's embarrassing. It's ridiculously short-term.

Thomas Muller - Bayern Munich, permanent deal

Look, five years ago this would have been a fantastic signing and it has echoes of Bastian Schweinsteiger where we all got very excited about that as United fans.

But then we realised very quickly why Bayern Munich would let a player of that status go, and I suspect it would be very similar with Thomas Muller.

He's played his entire career in Munich, so to come to the Premier League in his 30s with the competitive nature and intensity of it, the games every week - we've heard from so many Bundesliga players that the Premier League is so eye-opening, that there are not games where you can just take it easy, every game is intense.

And he'll be on very big wages.

I just think United would be foolish to do a deal like this, really foolish, they've made these mistakes so many times, this is not the sort of signing Manchester United should be making.

Serhou Guirassy - Stuttgart, permanent deal

This would be a permanent move, it would not be a short-term option, he's got a release clause of around €17.5million, so about £15m.

He's scored a lot of goals for Stuttgart this season but, again, he's 28 years of age and who else wants him? Do Arsenal want him? Do Chelsea want him? No, Manchester United apparently want him and I think that, again, is a massive concern.

You're much better off going with someone like Timo Werner until the summer and just send him back if he's not good enough.

But if you commit to a player like Guirassy who could easily be a flash in the pan striker who has just scored a few goals at Stuttgart.

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I don't believe this is the right signing for Manchester United and I certainly don't think they should be making permanent deals like this in January when you've got INEOS coming in to do a full strategic review.

Best of luck to the lad if he finds goals at a higher level, but I think it's too much of a risk for Manchester United.