We 'signed' Marko Arnautovic for Man United and answered baffling transfer question

Manchester United are planning a shock move for Bologna striker Marko Arnautovic, with Erik ten Hag's side having tabled a bid for the striker.

United haven't had a great start to their 2022/23 campaign, losing 2-1 to Brighton at Old Trafford in their first Premier League game of the season. With Anthony Martial injured, speculation around the future of Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcus Rashford misfiring, Arnautovic is understood to be a short-term solution.

After spending six years in England with Stoke City and West Ham United, Arnautovic left for China before moving to Bologna in Italy last season. The Austrian striker scored 14 Serie A goals in 33 games, and now United have bid €8 million for the 32-year-old.

READ MORE: Ten Hag defends key selection vs Brighton

So, if Arnautovic was to make the move to Old Trafford, could he improve Ten Hag's attack? Could he become a regular up-front, or will he just be used as a temporary placeholder?

To set up this simulation, we used the Football Manager 2022 editor to arrange for Arnautovic to join United at the start of the Premier League season, using FM22 to run the simulation. We also updated the game with the latest Premier League results and transfers.

Arnautovic started games on his arrival, but he was quickly dropped to the bench when Ronaldo made his way to full fitness, making most of his appearances as a sub. In all competitions, the Austrian only started eight games for United, whilst coming on as a sub for a further 19.

In those games, the 32-year-old scored eight times whilst grabbing one assist, with half of his goals coming in the Premier League. The striker scored twice on his debut, but he failed to reach that level again.

When compared to other strikers at