Jamie Vardy or Riyad Mahrez: Who Would Be a Better Signing for Manchester United

Manchester United have struggled up front this season, scoring the fewest goals (42) of any team in the top nine of the Premier League, but which of the league's most productive attacking players—Jamie Vardy or Riyad Mahrez—would best suit United's needs?

Vardy and Mahrez have served very different functions at Leicester.

The former has been a constant thorn in the side of opposition defences with his off-the-shoulder running, never allowing centre-backs a moment's rest. The latter has done his damage thanks to his access to an exciting bag of tricks, always ready to run with the ball at his feet, combining big assist numbers with a hatful of goals of his own.

And it is the creative Mahrez who would best fit at United given his position is the one in which the Red Devils look most in need of an upgrade. With the newly anointed PFA Player of the Year on the right flank, United's attack would benefit both in terms of balance and penetration.

That is not to say Vardy would not be an asset. Indeed, he and Mahrez are the Premier League's two most productive players in terms of their direct contributions to goals this season. They have scored and assisted a combined 28 league goals each. Vardy's breakdown is 22 goals and six assists.

That compares favourably overall with Harry Kane's 24 goals and one assist and Sergio Aguero's 23 goals and 2 assists, though Vardy has played almost 800 minutes more league football than the latter. Nonetheless, the point that Vardy has been an active contributor to others' goals as well as scoring plenty of his own stands.

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Mahrez is joint-third in the division's assist-providers table. Only Christian Eriksen and Mesut Ozil have managed more—12 and 18 respectively—but Mahrez's 17 goals dwarfs their six apiece.

For comparison, United's most productive attackers, Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial, have had direct involvement in just 11 league goals each so far this term—seven goals and four assists for Rooney and eight goals and three assists for Martial.

Those are considerably less impressive numbers than either Mahrez or Vardy have put up.

However, it is the presence of Martial and the recent breakthrough of Marcus Rashford that significantly shifts the argument around which of Leicester's two star attackers United should sign.

Vardy is at his best as an out-and-out striker. He has some history of playing wide on the left, but this season, each of his Leicester appearances has been as a No. 9. His presence in the United squad would mean Louis van Gaal—or whoever is United's manager next season—would have to use Rashford either as a backup option or wide on the left.

And it would inhibit the chances of Martial getting more time as a central striker. The France international has been a danger man when played on the left flank, but given his remarkable composure in front of goal, it is hard not to see a future for him as a centre-forward.

And even if United did decide a more surefire goalscorer is needed, that they do not want to gamble on building an attack around Rashford, Vardy still may not be the best option.

After all, he is 29 years old, and his speed is a huge part of his game. Therefore, his would hardly be a signing for the future. Additionally, this has been the best season of his career by some distance—something he shares with Mahrez and Leicester City as a club.

The final on-pitch argument against United signing Vardy—and off-pitch issues relating to his alleged racial abuse of a stranger in a Leicester casino last summer, for which he later apologised, per the Sun, may also be worthy of consideration—relates to the Red Devils' style of play.

Vardy has been at his best this season as a focal point for counter-attacks—something that has hardly been United's stock-in-trade under Van Gaal.

Mahrez has also been a huge asset to Leicester's counter-attacking play. However, his trickery and ability to beat a man could be useful against the kind of congested defences United's forwards usually have to deal with.

As mentioned above, he also fits the bill for a clear requirement in United's squad. For the most part, right-sided attacking-midfield duties in Van Gaal's system have been shared between Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard.

Question marks exist about both. In Mata's case, his lack of speed and understandable tendency to drift inside to where he can be at his most effective make him an odd choice for a regular right-wing berth.

In Lingard's case, it is an issue of quality.

It would be hard to argue that, on form, Mahrez would represent a significant upgrade. After all, it is hardly as though Lingard threatened the PFA Player of the Year shortlist.

And while it is instinctively easy to consider Lingard a particularly young player given how recent his breakthrough into United's first team has been, Mahrez, at 25, is less than two years his senior.

In November 2015, Van Gaal said, per FourFourTwo:

"

I have already said many times in my first year that we need speed and creativity on the wings.

You have seen that we play with Jesse Lingard now and he is not the most speedy winger in the world and Mata is not the most speedy winger in the world either.

So first we must first finish that problem and then we can see how we have to play and how we are in balance with playing with speedy wingers.

"

As recently as April 20, Van Gaal said "in my opinion I don’t have a senior creative player," per Manchester Evening News—a baffling sentiment given Mata's presence in the squad, but nonetheless an indication of where the manager believes United's big issues lie.

Mahrez could be a perfect fit, assuming he could replicate the remarkable form he has shown this season.

One of United's best attacking outlets comes from Martial's ability to beat a man with the ball at his feet down United's left flank. Having Mahrez to do the same on the right would provide superb balance and allow the creation of the kind of overloads that possession-hungry football relies upon to open up space.

For much of this season, teams knew that if they defended in compact, deep and narrow lines, United would struggle to break them down. Part of this is evidenced in the six 0-0 draws witnessed at Old Trafford. Having Mahrez in the side could have made a huge difference.

So, of the two, it is pretty clear which one fits the bill. Vardy has had a spectacular season and, in footballing terms, deserves all the plaudits he has attracted. However, Mahrez is younger, more positionally flexible and a much better fit for the Red Devils' requirements.

Leicester arrive at Old Trafford on Sunday for a game that not a soul on Earth would have predicted could decide the title in the Foxes' favour when the fixtures were announced. Vardy and Mahrez have both been a huge part of this unique story.

However, United should encourage the latter to ply his trade at the Theatre of Dreams next season in the event they had to choose between the two.

Advanced statistics per WhoScored.com.