Man Utd provided probability to signal “greatest CF available on the market”

Because the nice Sir Alex Ferguson as soon as acknowledged, ‘assault wins you video games, defence wins you titles’. For the place Manchester United are proper now, titles are a pipe dream – they merely have to get successful.

For momentum to be constructed then below the brand new Ruben Amorim regime, the Portuguese coach must be handed the suitable attacking instruments, having inherited a youthful and inconsistent ahead line upon his arrival late final 12 months.

Because it stands, the Purple Devils’ prime scorer in all competitions is Bruno Fernandes, with 16 targets. The Portuguese playmaker – who has been operated in a deep-lying position below Amorim – additionally leads the best way within the Premier League for United, with eight targets on that entrance.

The 30-year-old skipper additionally ended final season because the membership’s prime scorer within the prime flight, alongside Rasmus Hojlund, with simply ten league targets. Not since United’s final title-winning marketing campaign – the place Robin van Persie fired in 26 occasions – has a participant reached the 20-goal mark within the league at Outdated Trafford.

Therein lies the crux of the issue, and with Hojlund and summer time signing Joshua Zirkzee scoring simply 14 targets between them in all competitions in 2024/25 thus far, a brand new centre-forward should certainly be a precedence forward of subsequent season…

Newest on Man Utd’s seek for striker

The choice to splash out on £64m man Hojlund and £36.5m man Zirkzee had seemingly been with a watch on seeking to the longer term, with the membership having deserted the earlier strategy of short-term, veteran signings.

Certainly, United had acquired a raft of momentary options within the type of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani, Cristiano Ronaldo, Odion Ighalo and Wout Weghorst – solely a then 24-year-old Romelu Lukaku seemingly bucks the development within the post-Ferguson period.

With that in thoughts, the time has come for the Purple Devils to lastly purchase a centre-forward on the peak of their powers, having seemingly opted in opposition to shifting for Erik ten Hag’s first-choice goal, Harry Kane, again in the summertime of 2023.

Switch Focus

Mega cash offers, controversial strikes and big-name flops. That is the house of switch information and opinion throughout Soccer FanCast.

In response to Sky Sports activities reporter Sacha Tavolieri, that prolonged wait might nicely be coming to an finish, with United having been handed a gap to signal Napoli sensation, Victor Osimhen.

As per Tavolieri, the Nigerian marksman – who’s at the moment on mortgage at Galatasaray – has been put available on the market by the Serie A facet, forward of the summer time, with the Purple Devils stated to have adopted the 26-year-old ‘intently’ throughout ‘a number of seasons’.

The report states that the Outdated Trafford facet might ‘take benefit’ of this chance to lastly pounce, with Osimhen maybe representing the reply to Amorim’s prayers.

How United might signal their subsequent Ruud van Nistelrooy

With Lukaku solely lasting two seasons – and with Robin van Persie failing to take care of his prolific first-term kind – it might be argued that United have not had a very dependable or constant quantity 9 because the days of Ruud van Nistelrooy. Certainly, Dimitar Berbatov was by no means really the primary man, excluding a Golden Boot-winning 2010/11 season.

As for Van Nistlerooy, the prolific Dutchman was an on the spot hit following his belated arrival to Ferguson’s ranks in 2001, with each events having been made to attend after the then-PSV Eindhoven star had seen an preliminary transfer collapse a 12 months earlier, resulting from an ACL harm.

The £19m man – who was 25 by the point he made his Premier League debut in opposition to Fulham – shook off any harm fears by happening to attain 150 targets in simply 219 video games for the membership in all competitions, together with 95 targets in simply 150 top-flight outings.

United had signed a participant coming into his prime who had confirmed himself already in Holland, with 77 targets in 90 video games for PSV, with the identical state of affairs doubtlessly set to happen with regard to Osimhen.

Like Van Nistelrooy, the in-demand striker has had harm considerations previously, though these ought to actually not maintain United again from making a transfer, not least when he has scored 26 targets in 30 video games in Turkey this time period.

In 253 profession video games, the one-time Lille man has already scored 140 occasions at senior degree, once more emulating Van Nistelrooy in representing a confirmed, ready-made centre-forward possibility. Like with the Netherlands star, his lack of prior Premier League expertise shouldn’t be an excessive amount of of a priority.

At 26, Osimhen – who is simply barely older than the present Leicester Metropolis boss was when he made the transfer of his personal – would signify each a participant for the current and the longer term. A participant with room nonetheless left to develop, but whereas having already delivered elsewhere on a constant foundation.

Very similar to the then-British-record seize of Van Nistelrooy, it might take a fairly penny to prise Osimhen from Naples, contemplating his £62m launch clause, though for arguably the “greatest striker available on the market” – as per Statman Dave – he’d actually be well worth the funding.

Certainly, at a time when United can now not watch for the likes of Hojlund, Zirkzee and even younger Chido Obi to seek out their toes, Osimhen might lastly be the striker to return in and hit the bottom working – simply as ‘Ruud’ did all these years in the past.

Associated

Large Hojlund improve: Man Utd favourites to signal “the most well liked CF in Europe”

Manchester United want surgical procedure within the switch market this summer time.