Manchester United’s top scorer in 2015-16 was Anthony Martial, who scored 17 goals in his maiden season for the club; an impressive feat for such a young player. However, the top scorer at the club in a single season has often scored many more than this – though there has not been a player who has scored 20+ goals for United in a season since Robin van Persie in 2012-13, when the Red Devils last won the Premier League.
Other top scorers include Wayne Rooney with 34 goals in 2011-12, Cristiano Ronaldo with 42 goals in 2007-08 and Ruud van Nistelrooy with 44 in 2002-03. The most goals ever scored in a season by a United player came in 1963-64, when Denis Law found the back of the net 46 times.
According to Mark Ogden of the Independent, incoming United manager Jose Mourinho has identified Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema as his priority transfer target for this summer, to address the need for firepower at Old Trafford.
Benzema had a good relationship with Mourinho when the pair were together at Real Madrid, but rejected United as a Lyon player in 2009 – incidentally, so that he could move to the Spanish capital.
The French striker does come with the bonus of not being part of his country’s Euro 2016 squad, in light of an extortion scandal also involving Mathieu Valbuena – this would mean a fresh pair of legs going into the new season, but as Ogden reports, bringing him to Manchester would be tough.
A court case for the aforementioned scandal has not been confirmed, but it is certainly a possibility. Also, the forward is currently in contract negotiations with Los Blancos, which would see his £150,000/week wage increased, and his current deal at the Santiago Bernabeu increased to the year 2020.
If such a contract is signed, his already-high transfer fee will no doubt increase even further, which may cause difficulty for Mourinho, despite claims that he will have a wealth of financial backing from the Glazers.
