'My dream is Manchester United' – Striker sends clear transfer message in honest admission

Lecce striker Nikola Krstovic
-Credit: (Image: Getty Images)


Lecce striker Nikola Krstovic has said his "dream" is to play for Manchester United in the future. The 24-year-old scored seven Serie A goals last season and has already netted twice this campaign.

Krstovic joined the Italian side in a deal worth around £3.3million from Dunajska Streda and has impressed since his move. He scored the winner as Lecce beat Cagliari 1-0 last month. Alongside this, Krstovic has been capped 18 times for Montenegro and grabbed an assist against Wales on September 9.

Standing at 6ft, Krstovic has a number of qualities under his belt. He is an excellent ball carrier, can shoot from distance and has an eye for a through ball. He does have a couple of weaknesses, however, with the forward having room to improve in the passing department and his discipline.

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Although it could be argued that Krstovic hasn't done enough in his career to earn a move to United just yet, he is not giving up on his "dream" of a switch to Old Trafford.

"After the match against Torino he (Mirko Vucinic) told me ‘think about the next one’. Where would I never play? In Bari. My dream is Manchester United," he told TeleRoma.

"It’s only the second year here in Lecce. I am very happy, both me and my family. We have friends and we’re enjoying it, so let’s think about the present."

This comes as United secured their place in the next round of the Carabao Cup with a thumping 7-0 win over Barnsley on Tuesday. Erik ten Hag's side were rampant at Old Trafford, with a brace each from Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Christian Eriksen and Antony's solitary strike securing the victory.

It means United are safely into the last 16, with the draw for the next round taking place on Wednesday, September 25, after Liverpool's tie against West Ham. Matches at this stage of the competition are across two midweeks due to the new revamped format in the Champions League and the Europa League.

Speaking after the game, Ten Hag said: "First of all, it was a difficult start but, once we found the shape, it’s not so weird because it’s the first time this team is playing together. But once we found the shape and the patterns, we scored some great goals, starting with [Marcus] Rashford which was a brilliant goal but I’d also say some other goals were really good. We played with a lot of speed and we were very ruthless in front of the goal."