With just four days remaining of the January transfer window, Manchester United are still looking to make their first signing as they bid to strengthen their squad for the second half of the campaign.
While it has been well documented that they want to secure the signature of Sporting Lisbon midfielder Bruno Fernandes, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is also eager to find a short-term replacement for the injured Marcus Rashford.
Despite his mixed spell with Leicester City, which saw him contribute 13 goals from 23 starts and 23 substitute outings, Islam Slimani has been linked with a switch to Old Trafford.
The 31-year-old has caught the eye on loan at Monaco, with seven goals and seven assists coming from just 13 appearances in Ligue 1 this season.
The form of the Algeria international has seemingly resulted in United expressing an interest, although Leicester may be against United acquiring the services of the player unless they receive an offer which is too good to turn down.
Here, Sports Mole takes a look at how Slimani could fit into Solskjaer's plans for the remainder of the campaign.
Despite Anthony Martial being regarded as first choice down the middle this season, the Frenchman would be moved out to the flank should Slimani sign for United.
While the team would arguably be worse off for the lack of pace over the top, Slimani would offer more of a physical presence, something which may benefit a team who rely on getting wide players involved.
Solskjaer would also have the option of playing Slimani alongside Mason Greenwood in a traditional 4-4-2 formation, with the target man potentially acting as the ideal foil for the youngster.
With Rashford, Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay out of the picture for the time being, that setup would make a lot of sense for Solskjaer at a time when he is attempting to win the fans over at the Theatre of Dreams.
When Pogba does eventually return to the fold, the World Cup winner will likely feature as the most advanced of a midfield three, with Daniel James out on the right.
Unless United can push through a deal for Fernandes, Solskjaer cannot really afford to play the Frenchman in his preferred deeper role alongside Nemanja Matic.
Slimani's arrival would not impact on the back four, although the likes of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Brandon Williams would feel that they have a bigger target to aim for if they gained a new teammate in the final third.
Darren Plant
