With the continued concern over Sergio Aguero’s fitness and question marks as to whether Wilfried Bony is the right fit for a side who play 4-2-3-1, Manchester City have been linked with a number of forwards in recent months.

Aguero’s hamstrings are a constant worry. The striker, who could return from a heel injury to face Arsenal on Monday night after a four-game absence, has continually broken down in the last two years with muscle strains and tears.

In his absence, Bony is supposed to be the man to step in and provide cover, but his lack of movement isn‘t ideal in a side that looks to move the ball quickly and incisively, weaving intricate patterns with one- and two-touch passing.

The Ivorian has scored seven in his last 12 for City, but even that hasn’t allayed the fears he isn’t the player the team needs.

Mauro Icardi, Inter Milan’s Argentinian striker, is one who has been strongly rumoured to interest the Blues, according to Anthony Jepson of the Manchester Evening News. 

Icardi started his career in Europe as a young boy playing for Barcelona at their world-renowned La Masia training facility. He was a player earmarked as a future star, but with the Barcelona squad so packed full of attacking talent, the ambitious Icardi decided to a move to Sampdoria was in his best interests.

In 2012/13, his only full season at the Italian club, he scored 10 goals in 31 appearances. It was impressive for a teenager to display such a natural ability in front of goal, and Inter Milan decided he was a player they needed.

He started slowly, scoring just three in his first 13, but he gradually began to find his goalscoring groove. His total of nine in 22 at the end of the season was decent for one so young, and Inter felt sure they had a player capable of providing them with years of high-quality service.

Last season, their faith was fully justified. He scored a remarkable 22 league goals and showed everybody just how lethal and natural his finishing ability is. Give Icardi a chance, and it’s likely it will end up in the back of the net.

It was the season he announced himself as a genuinely top-level striker, the potential and the promise becoming something altogether more complete.

His hat-trick against Sassuolo in his second game of the season set the tone as he finished as the league’s top scorer, level with Luca Toni and with two more than Carlos Tevez.

He has six in 13 this season, a decrease on last year’s productivity but still a more-than-healthy return. Clearly, this is a player with a big future in the game, and one who can offer goals with the right service.

His passing remains a concern, and he isn’t blessed with blistering pace, but his intelligent movement means he could slot into City’s team more comfortably than Bony has so far.

Icardi can hold the ball up well and links play neatly, but it is his pure finishing ability that defines his style. Instinctive in the box, he thrives on converting chances and rarely needs more than a split second to pick his spot. 

Confidence has never been a problem for Icardi. Since he first became a regular at Sampdoria, little has phased him. 

He needs to improve his defending from the front, and the lack of acceleration over 10 yards would perhaps be a concern in the Premier League where blistering pace in forward areas is now seen as a prerequisite. But there’s little doubt he is one of the best young strikers in the game.

The fear if City bought him would be the impact on 19-year-old Kelechi Iheanacho, a player making huge strides this season.

Iheanacho is adored already by the City fans who are desperate to see an academy player become a first-team regular.

He offers pace, vision, great movement, confidence and impudence. There’s little he won’t try on a football pitch, despite his age. Manuel Pellegrini has so far been cautious in giving him time on the pitch, but Iheanacho’s performances are making it increasingly difficult for the City boss to leave him out.

Would Icardi’s arrival, if it became reality, hurt Iheanacho’s chances of playing? If the answer to that is yes, City would probably think twice about completing a deal, such are the high hopes they have for the Nigeria international.

As long as City only have three out-and-out strikers, rumours will persist about them being in the market for another. There have been times this season when they have looked short of options, particularly when Aguero is unfit.

Indeed, his fitness will be key to City’s hopes of silverware this season. If he stayed injury-free for the rest of the season, Icardi wouldn’t be needed. City play with one up front, with the supporting cast of attacking midfielders assuming much of the scoring and creating burden. 

The fear, though, is Aguero continues to spend time on the sidelines. With City hoping to go deep into the Champions League, juggling the demands of that competition with a Premier League title fight, any absence from their star striker will hurt them. 

Perhaps a short-term loan deal for a more experienced striker fits their needs for now. Icardi is a player they will surely keep tabs on, as will most of Europe’s biggest clubs, but January would probably not be the time to complete a deal. 

 

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report’s lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2015/16 season. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @RobPollard_.

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