sport news Arnautovic found form with Bologna and Man United are gambling on him... so is ... trends now

Manchester United fans probably thought they wouldn't see anything quite as shocking as their 2-1 defeat by Brighton on Sunday - but these days at OId Trafford, you should always expect the unexpected.

As Erik ten Hag took charge of his first Premier League games as boss at Old Trafford, news was emerging the club had made a £7.5million bid for former West Ham and Stoke striker Marko Arnautovic.

Just a few hours later and another shambolic performance in front of their home fans, that offer had been rejected by the Austrian forward's current club Bologna.

All transfers see some sort of haggling go on over the final price, but the target himself is just as alarming as what is going on on the pitch.

Ten Hag and the United faithful would have needed no reminder their squad still requires several reinforcements even before their season opener. Unfortunately for them, they were given it regardless in ugly fashion.

With Anthony Martial ruled out through injury, new midfield signing Christian Eriksen filled the space usually occupied by the centre forward, playing as a sort of false nine and being flanked by Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford.

But the England internationals looked off the pace against the ebullient Seagulls, while the false nine role is far from Eriksen's most comfortable position.

The ideal situation would have seen Cristiano Ronaldo fill that role vacated by Martial, but the Portuguese still wants out of Old Trafford and is far from being match ready having missed most of pre-season.

After United's 2-1 loss to Brighton, manager Ten Hag admitted he needs more forwards in his squad and didn't have 'a typical No 9 available'.

Signings are therefore required in that area, and it has led them to seek a deal for a man who has scored 43 Premier League goals in his career.

During his previous spells in England, Arnautovic demonstrated his ability to play out wide or through the middle, and Sportsmail understands that his versatility makes him an appealing option for United. He is also expected to be inexpensive.

Arnautovic enjoyed a brief spell in the Chinese Super League with Shanghai Port - scoring 20 goals in 39 games - before returning to Europe to be closer to his family amid the pandemic.

The Austria international signed for Bologna last summer, and he proved those who believed he was not ready for European competition having spent two seasons in China wrong.

He was a crucial member of their side last season and netted 15 goals in 33 appearances. The ex-Stoke star is now settled in Italy, crediting Bologna for 'giving me back the desire to play football.'

The relationship between Arnautovic and coach Sinisa Mihajlovic is also excellent, with reports in Italy claiming the latter is trying to use it to convince the former to stay following United's interest. 

'Sinisa Mihajlovic is an incredible person and he was an idol for my brother and me. We always watched him play,' Arnautovic's agent and brother Danijel said in June.

'He counts a lot for my brother, as a man and coach. Marko scored 15 goals last season and Mihajlovic deserves credit for that.' 

Bologna too are in a strong position, with Arnautovic still having two years left to run on his contract.

He has made such an impression in Italy in the past 12 months that Massimiliano Allegri and Juventus were reportedly interested in signing him as a back-up to £62m January addition Dusan Vlahovic. 

'He can make the difference in any team and of course, there are rumours about big clubs interested, such as Juventus,' the striker's

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