Man Utd transfer target Silva makes it 23 goals and six assists in 26 league games

Stefan Bienkowski

• Updated: 19 May 2021 15:43 BST
• 6 min read

Manchester United transfer target Andre Silva added to his remarkable return for the season at Eintracht Frankfurt by making it 23 goals and six assists in just 26 Bundesliga games. 

On Saturday his Frankfurt side faced stiff opposition in the form of third-placed Wolfsburg, who would have loved nothing more than to pick up three points and put some serious distance between third and fourth in the Bundesliga table. 

And it certainly looked like that would be the case, when Oliver Glasner’s side took an early lead just six minutes into the match when Wout Weghorst set up Ridle Baku for an opening goal. However, thanks to Silva, the Eagles were able to not only pull the game back level but also claim all three points in the end. 

It didn’t take long for the Portuguese striker to work his magic. After Daichi Kamada levelled the scoring in the eighth minute, Silva then put his side in front with a delightful assist to set up Luka Jovic midway through the first half. 

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Wolfsburg, again, struck first in the second period when Wout Weghorst bagged his 18th goal of the season with a right-footed shot into the bottom left corner. However, once again, Silva was on hand to give his side an extra edge in attack. 

After scoring the opening goal, Kamada then turned playmaker when he found Silva on the right side of the box with a smart pass, allowing the striker to hit a right-footed shot across goal and watch it nestle inside the bottom left corner of Koen Casteels’ net. 

Silva’s goal put Frankfurt 3-2 up and then a fourth from Erik Durm confirmed all three points for the home side, following a late consolation own goal from Tuta in Wolfsburg’s favour. 

Indeed, Saturday’s result now means that Silva has either scored or assists 29 of Frankfurt’s 59 goals in the Bundesliga this season, which means he’s accounted for an incredible 49% of his team’s goals. Not bad for a striker that joined the club as part of a swap deal and ended up only costing the Bundesliga side £2.9 million.

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Could Man Utd sign Silva this summer?

With just about every super club in Europe – including Man Utd – reportedly interested in signing Erling Haaland this summer, the Old Trafford side would perhaps do well to turn their attention to Silva instead.

While the Portugal international is by no means the kind of star that could compensate for missing out on Haaland, his ability to put the ball in the back of the net could prove to be just as useful for the Premier League giants.

Indeed, if Silva could be signed for as little as €30 million then Man Utd may be far more tempted to make a move for the Frankfurt striker this summer rather than battle the rest of Europe for Haaland’s signature.