‘Look no further’ – Man Utd told to sign ‘very special’ Premier League star over Crystal Palace man

Former Premier League manager Sam Allardyce has explained why Manchester United should “look no further” than Brentford star Igor Thiago this summer.

The Brentford striker has been one of the breakout stars in the Premier League this season, with the 24-year-old remarkably scoring 21 goals in his 32 appearances.

Thiago has been like a new signing for Brentford after missing most of the 2024/25 campaign due to injury, and he is bound to attract interest from several Premier League and European clubs in the summer.

Therefore, Brentford face a battle to keep Thiago, who has been lauded as a “very special player” by head coach Keith Andrews.

“The biggest thing for Thiago this season was staying fit and playing as many minutes as he has,” Andrews said after his brace against Everton last weekend.

“We always knew he had brilliant attributes. The goals get all the attention but his overall performance levels continue to get better and better and he’s constantly evolving his game.

“He’s proving to be a very, very special player.”

Man Utd are going to be focused on overhauling their midfield in the summer, but they could also strengthen in attack to give Benjamin Sesko extra competition.

Allardyce thinks Thiago is a better option than Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta due to the age factor and his goal tally this season.

“I mean, who’s going to buy Brentford’s centre-forward, Igor Thiago?” Allardyce said on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast.

“Manchester United need to look no further as far as I’m concerned. He’s hit the 20-goal mark, you don’t need to look any further.

“I thought they’d go for [Jean-Philippe] Mateta, but maybe with his age they thought better of it.

“But this Brazilian lad [Thiago], he’s scored 20 goals already and has got Brentford almost pushing for Europe.”

Regarding Mateta, former Arsenal and Man City defender Bacary Sagna has argued that he would be the best option for Man Utd.

“It would make sense if Jean-Philippe Mateta went to Manchester United ,” Sagna told Oddspedia.

“They don’t really have a No9 who is tall, can hold the ball and can get on the end of crosses. It could be difficult for him as a new player coming into a club where there are a lot of new players and transferring his skills across from Crystal Palace, but a move to Old Trafford would be good for him and the club.

“It will also be difficult for Palace to keep hold of him, and it’s the right moment for him to move if he wants the test of playing for one of the biggest teams in the Premier League .

“He’s not a young player anymore and it might be one of the last moves of his career, so he will probably push for it if the opportunity arises.”