A look at Man Utd’s penchant for experienced strikers amid Marko Arnautovic link

Marko Arnautovic is the latest aging forward to be linked with a move to Manchester United.

It has become a pattern at Old Trafford in recent years for United to boost their firepower with the short-term signing of an experienced striker.

The 33-year-old former West Ham and Stoke forward Arnautovic, currently with Bologna, has been attracting surprise attention from the Red Devils, according to reports in Italy.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of United’s other signings.

The signing that kicked off the trend saw Celtic hero Larsson recruited on a three-month loan from Helsingborg in 2007 at the age of 35. The veteran Swede played just 13 games for United but was a huge fan favourite and had a big impact on the team.

Owen was only 29 when he signed for United in the summer of 2009 but he was seen as an injury-prone player who was past his best. The former England striker stayed at Old Trafford for three years and scored a famous injury-time winner in a 4-3 success against Manchester City in September 2009.

The Colombian had established himself as one of the top forwards in the world at Porto, Atletico Madrid and Monaco. He joined United on a one-year loan from the latter in 2014 but this was a signing that did not work out, with Falcao criticised for his fitness and performances.

Following in his fellow Swede Larsson’s footsteps, Ibrahimovic joined United on a free transfer aged 34 in 2016. Like Larsson, the charismatic Ibrahimovic quickly became a fan favourite, scoring 28 goals in his first season, although a serious knee injury limited his impact thereafter.

One of United’s most surprising transfer moves came with the recruitment of former Watford striker Ighalo on loan from Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua in