Former Milan and Italy striker Alberto Gilardino could be on his way to Selhurst Park with Crystal Palace desperate for a striker.
Another game, another goalless performance from Crystal Palace. It’s fair to say The Eagles are yet to take flight in this Premier League campaign and, after becoming the first side in the competition’s history to fail to score in any of their first six fixtures, they were unable to find the net for the seventh time in a row against Manchester United.
A complete lack of goal threat, coupled with a propensity for unhelpful errors at the other, meant Manchester United swept to a comfortable 4-0 victory with Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson slumping so far back in his chair that he may as well have been lying down.
Reports by ESPN that Palace are considering a move for former Italy international Alberto Gilardino (below, second left), however, may give supporters something to take their mind of a start to the season that literally couldn’t have been any worse.
The 35-year-old has quite the CV after all, winning the 2006 World Cup with Italy and the Champions League with AC Milan, as well as being crowned Serie A’s 2005 Player of the Year.
Yet, it does not take a mathematical genius to work out that those accolades came quite some time ago. The veteran striker has been without a club since leaving Pescara after just three games and no goals last season.
So while he would be a more glamourous free agent signing than former England internationals Rickie Lambert and Carlton Cole, who The Standard claim Palace are considering after losing Christian Benteke for six weeks to a knee injury, it remains to be seen whether Gilardino could roll back the years.
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