Goncalo Ramos has proved he's perfect for Erik ten Hag with "spearhead" comments, Man Utd should make a move

Goncalo Ramos’ past comments prove that he would be perfect in Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United side.

Last night, Ramos announced himself on the world stage.

Before Portugal took on Switzerland in the World Cup round of 16 all the talk was about Cristiano Ronaldo, after the five-time Ballon d’Or winner was demoted to the bench by manager Fernando Santos.

It was the first time in 31 games, stretching back to 2008, that the former United and Real Madrid star had not started in a major tournament.

However, Ronaldo’s replacement, Ramos, could not have made a bigger impact as Portugal dismantled the Swiss 6-1. The 21-year-old stepped up to score three goals and became the youngest player since Hungary’s Florian Albert (1962) to net a World Cup hat trick.

Ramos, who plays his club football at Benfica, is the talk of Qatar this morning, with a number of club managers likely to keep a watchful eye over the rest of his performances at the World Cup.

Ramos to Man Utd?

Ramos has previously been linked with ten Hag’s side. In October The Sun claimed United registered an interest in the Portuguese forward, with his price then quoted at £35million.

However, the Old Trafford club would reportedly need to compete with Europe’s top sides for his signature, including Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and oil-rich Newcastle - who failed in their pursuit of Ramos in the summer.

The player's past comments suggest he would be a perfect fit for ten Hag’s side. Unlike Ronaldo, who acrimoniously left United last month, Ramos appears to value off-the-ball work and pressing.

When speaking to Mais Futebol in September, Ramos said: “Increasingly, more is asked of a spearhead to be more complete.

“People thought that a striker is only there to score goals and the rest doesn’t matter, but I think that over the last few years that image is disappearing a little bit.

“It is increasingly important for a striker to be more in the game and contribute more to the team, to connect the game, to put pressure on. Often with movements in which you end up in another position and ask for another type of task.”

Could Ramos replace Ronaldo at club level as well as on the international stage?

Topics: Football, Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal, Football World Cup, Manchester United, Transfers

Chris Byfield

Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.