Three Manchester United transfer targets make Most Clinical XI in Europe

Debating the best goalscorers on the planet very rarely ends in an unanimous decision. Cristiano Ronaldo's record, for example, is often discredited due to the amount of penalties he scores - Penaldo is another name given to the Juventus forward - or due to his sheer volume shooting.

So who have been the most clinicial finishers in Europe's top five leagues this season? What if we put all of the most clinical finishers into a team to make the most efficient XI in front of goal?

We have delved into the database to find out. Removing penalty goals and spot-kick attempts, here is the most clinical XI in 2019/20, with minimum goal requirements set out for defenders, midfielders and forwards, as explained at the end.

Goalkeper: Leandro Cabrera (Espanyol) - 20% conversion rate

As you may have already guessed, no goalkeeper has scored in one of Europe's top 5 leagues this season. But that doesn't mean this position goes unfilled. Leandro Cabrera swapped his role as centre-back for goalkeeper in the final seven minutes of Espanyol's last match before football was suspended. Aside from picking up a couple of loose balls in the area, Espanyol's January signing wasn't required to make a save in their 1-0 defeat at Osasuna. Prior to that, however, the 28-year-old had scored two goals from 10 shots across spells at Getafe and Espanyol in 2019/20.

Centre-back: Sebastiaan Bornauw (FC Koln) - 33.3% conversion rate

Sebastiaan has weighed in with five goals from 15 attempts on goal for Bundesliga strugglers FC Koln this season. From those 15 shots, six have hit the target and five have ended in the back of the net. The 21-year-old is Koln's second top scorer in the league this season and the decision to postpone Euro 2020 by 12 months could work in his favour. Belgium's current centre-backs could all be retired by next summer and Bornauw, who has been capped at every level up until the Under-21s, has another year to develop. 

Centre-back: Ozan Kabak (Schalke) - 33.3% conversion rate

Ozan Kabak is only 20 and has already developed a reputation as a bit of a goalscoring centre-back. The Turkey international scored three goals in 15 games in the second half of last season for Stuttgart and has scored three goals in 14 starts for new club Schalke this term. Kabak's three goals have come from just nine attempts (five on target) in the Bundesliga.

Centre-back: Christophe Herelle (Nice) - 50% conversion rate

Christophe Herelle has scored three league goals from just six shots in Ligue 1 this season, netting every time he has hit the target. After failing to score in 67 league starts across his two previous top-flight campaigns, the 27-year-old has found the back of the net three times in just 13 starts in 2019/20.

Right wing-back: Robert Snodgrass (West Ham) - 23.8% conversation rate

Robert Snodgrass remains a key player for West Ham despite the fact Manuel Pellegrini has the likes of Felipe Anderson, Manuel Lanzini and Pablo Fornals to pick from. Snodgrass, 32, is enjoying his best Premier League campaign for the Hammers with 10 goal involvements. His five league goals have come from 21 shots, whereas Felipe Anderson, Manuel Lanzini, Michail Antonio and Pablo Fornals have scored five league goals from 106 non-penalty attempts between them. Maybe Snodgrass should chance his arm more often.

Central midfield: Arturo Vidal (Barcelona) - 46.2% conversion rate

While Barcelona have struggled to get going in attack this season, bit-part midfielder Arturo Vidal has at least stepped up with his share of goals. Despite the fact only eight of Vidal's 24 league appearances have been starts this season, the 32-year-old has six goals in LaLiga. Those six goals have come from just 13 shots and eight on target.

Central midfield: Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Roma) - 33.3% conversion rate

After a rough couple of years in England, Henrikh Mkhitaryan understandably has taken time to get warm at new club Roma. The 31-year-old joined on loan from Arsenal in September but has been limited to just 13 league appearances. Nevertheless, he started to come good just before football was suspended. He has three goals in his last five league starts and six in total for the campaign, with those strikes coming from 18 attempts.

Left wing-back: Philipp Max (Augsburg) - 25.9% converstion rate

After a superb 2017/18 campaign, Philipp Max's reputation took a bit of a hit the following campaign but the 26-year-old has rediscovered his best form this term. Max has played a direct hand in 12 league goals, notably scoring seven times. In fact, Max has scored as many league goals this season as his previous three campaigns combined. Excluding his one penalty goal, Max has scored six times from 26 attempts for the Bundesliga side. 

Right forward: Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund) - 31.1% conversion rate

Jadon Sancho is not only superb at creating goalscoring chances but he is also efficient when it comes to putting them away himself. The Borussia Dortmund starlet has played a direct hand in 29 goals in 23 league appearances this season (14 goals, 15 assists). His 14 goals have come from 45 attempts at a thoroughly impressive conversion rate of 31.1%. A £100M move away from Dortmund is now just a question of when rather than if.

Striker: Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund) - 47.4% conversion rate

Jadon Sancho isn't the only player Borussia Dortmund can expect to make profit on this summer, with Real Madrid circling for Erling Haaland. Haaland only joined Dortmund in January but looks destined for bigger and better things after his startling start to life in Germany. The 19-year-old has nine goals in his first eight league games for the club and has taken them from just 19 shots. He is scoring at a rate almost one every two attempts.

Left forward: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal) - 25% conversion rate

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has 17 goals for the season in the Premier League and could also be on the move this summer. The 30-year-old is unwilling to commit to a new Arsenal contract and the Gunners may have to cash in this season. Aubameyang has been in typically ruthless goalscoring form this season with his 16 non-penalty goals coming from 64 attempts. He has scored 42.1% of the non-penalty goals Arsenal have scored in the league this season.

Qualifying Rules

Defenders must have scored at least three goals / Midfielders must have scored at least five goals / Strikers must have scored at least seven goals