Man Utd scouts see exactly what Ralf Rangnick is looking for on Europa League mission

Manchester United's scouts were shown exactly what Ralf Rangnick and co need when they watched transfer target Moussa Dembele score a vital goal for Lyon on Thursday.

The 25-year-old has been touted as a serious option for the Red Devils to replace outgoing striker Edinson Cavani at the end of the season, with scouts from Old Trafford heading to the Stade de Lyon for their Europa League round-of-16 clash with Porto. Dembele only needed 13 minutes to show what he could do, getting on the end of right-back Leo Dubois' through ball to prod past onrushing goalkeeper Diogo Costa.

Firing off another two shots before he was substituted by manager Peter Bosz in the 66th minute, the ex-Celtic hitman's contribution helped Lyon through to the quarter-finals, courtesy a 1-1 draw on the night after Porto equalised. His goal came as a perfect time to impress United's employees, who have watched Rangnick's side squander chances on a consistent basis ever since the German took over in December.

Many of those have been courtesy of 37-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo, who is far from a long-term fix for the 20-time English champions, and with a looming gulf at the top of the pitch, Dembele has emerged as a No.9 candidate for the Red Devils.

And Thursday was not the first time United's eyes have been on the Frenchman, with Foot Mercato, via Sport Witness, claiming that scouts looked at Dembele during the first leg in Portugal last week, with star midfielder Lucas Paqueta stealing the show to give Lyon a narrow advantage heading back home for round two.

That came after a trip to Lorient to watch the former France youth international net in a 4-1 Ligue 1 win, scoring his ninth goal of the campaign. He then made it 10 over the weekend, although