Man Utd provided likelihood to signal “finest CF in the marketplace”

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 underneath 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 yr.

Because it stands, the Pink Devils’ prime scorer in all competitions is Bruno Fernandes, with 16 targets. The Portuguese playmaker – who has been operated in a deep-lying position underneath 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 Previous Trafford.

Therein lies the crux of the issue, and with Hojlund and summer season signing Joshua Zirkzee scoring simply 14 targets between them in all competitions in 2024/25 so far, a brand new centre-forward should absolutely 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 an eye fixed on seeking to the long run, with the membership having deserted the earlier method of short-term, veteran signings.

Certainly, United had acquired a raft of short-term 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 pattern within the post-Ferguson period.

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

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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 in the marketplace by the Serie A aspect, forward of the summer season, with the Pink Devils stated to have adopted the 26-year-old ‘intently’ throughout ‘a number of seasons’.

The report states that the Previous Trafford aspect 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 keep up 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 actually the primary man, excluding a Golden Boot-winning 2010/11 season.

As for Van Nistlerooy, the prolific Dutchman was an immediate 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 yr earlier, as a result of an ACL damage.

The £19m man – who was 25 by the point he made his Premier League debut in opposition to Fulham – shook off any damage fears by occurring 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 getting 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 damage issues prior to now, though these ought to definitely 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 stage, 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 barely barely older than the present Leicester Metropolis boss was when he made the transfer of his personal – would symbolize each a participant for the current and the long run. 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 will take a fairly penny to prise Osimhen from Naples, contemplating his £62m launch clause, though for arguably the “finest striker in the marketplace” – as per Statman Dave – he’d definitely be well worth the funding.

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

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