Randal Kolo Muani's experience of playing in a formation featuring a three-man defence could make him a suitable catch for Manchester United in this month's transfer window.

It has been reported by The Athletic that United are 'actively exploring' the possibility of signing the Paris Saint-Germain striker on loan amid their need to strengthen their attacking options.

United have struggled to regularly put the ball in the back of the net this season, highlighted by their underwhelming return of 23 goals in their opening 20 Premier League matches. Rasmus Hojlund has just two league goals this season, while Joshua Zirkzee has three.

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Kolo Muani has been mooted as a realistic option for United this month amid his lack of game time at PSG; he has played just 14 times this season, scoring two goals. He joined the club from Eintracht Frankfurt in September 2023 in a deal worth more than £60million.

His move to the French capital materialised on the back of a 23-goal season in Germany, making him one of the most sought after strikers in Europe during the 2023 summer window. Kolo Muani's purple patch in front of goal came under the stewardship of now-Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner, who operated with a 3-4-2-1 formation, making it almost identical to the system United operate in under Ruben Amorim.

Following Kolo Muani's switch to PSG in 2023, Glasner gave a detailed account of how to get the best of him, referencing how he had delivered the goods in a three-at-the-back formation.

Glasner, speaking to French newspaper L'Equipe in October 2023, said: "We played with three defenders, a bit like PSG when they have the ball with (Ahcraf) Hakimi higher. Kolo Muani was also our No.9, but he had a lot of freedom.

"I couldn't ask for him to wait in the box for the ball to come. He needed to find spaces in the defence. That's why there was [Mario] Götze and [Jesper] Lindstrom, who came to support so that Kolo Muani could be at the heart of the play, and then go very quickly with his pace.

"We played with two No.8s who served as relayers. It's important for him to have these players around him."

Amid his pace and versatility, Kolo Muani is also capable of operating from the left flank. Glasner, however, insists he is far more effective through the middle.

"For me, he isn't a wide player," he added." The conventional winger is Ousmane Dembele. I needed to see a Kolo Muani who scored goals, and out wide, he made lots of assists, but he scored very little.

"So he needed to be in the middle. But you can't ask him to be static. I don't think he's at his best like that.

"He isn't a physical striker like Olivier Giroud, for example, he needs to use his pace. He is very intelligent with his movement, he also improved a lot with his left foot last season."