Wanted: a new number nine at United
Wanted: a new number nine at United
The new Manchester United kit is draped over the mannequins in the Old Trafford Megastore. On the online store, a handful of players' names are pre-printed on the new shirt.
Fernandes, Yoro, Martinez, Amad and Maguire are all featured. Safe choices. Ella Toone, Maya le Tissier and Grace Clinton also have that privilege.
It would be remiss of United to proactively plug 'Hojlund 9'. Get 'Rashford 10' or 'Garnacho 17' at your peril. 'Sancho' and 'Antony 21' are not even listed on the online options.
Matheus Cunha donned the '10' in the old gold of Wolves and United's salesmen will hope he has the golden touch when his squad number is confirmed. That it hasn't already suggests it is currently taken.
Whenever United's new striker arrives, he will be their new No.9, but maybe not officially. Hojlund had to wait a year for Anthony Martial's outstayed welcome to expire before he assumed the number. If Hojlund is superstitious, he might pine for his old number 11, yet that has been allocated to Joshua Zirkzee.
Supporters may have to wait to get a new striker's name on the back of their shirt. It has largely flown under the radar that United's priority signing is seldom the first through the door.
In last year's case, he was the last. United had to wait for Scott McTominay to go for Manuel Ugarte to come in. Both of their transfers were finalised on deadline day, with Ugarte's confirmed at 9.15pm.
United bought two centre backs and a right back before a defensive midfielder when the glaring issue in their madcap 2023-24 campaign was the absence of a shield in front of the back four. Erik ten Hag had two No.6s but Casemiro was injury-prone and Sofyan Amrabat not entrusted until the final two weeks of the season. He was not signed permanently.
Two years ago, a starting striker was essential. The belated call on David de Gea's future made a new goalkeeper inevitable and Andre Onana came in less than three weeks after his predecessor brought down the curtain on 12 years at United.
United had been yearning for a goalscorer for a year. At the start of United's 2023 pre-season tour in New Jersey, we stopped Ten Hag in the mixed zone for an impromptu chat. When did he hope the striker would arrive?
Two SEG clients united
"Last year!" he chuckled. Cristiano Ronaldo's heart was no longer in it at United in his second season. Martial's body had more breakdowns than a day on the M6 and United had quietly bade farewell to Wout Weghorst, scorer of two tap-ins in 31 games.
Hojlund was the last of the three major incomings, a deal still concluded early enough for him to be introduced to United fans before their pre-season friendly with Lens at Old Trafford. The downside was a stress fracture of his back delayed his debut by four more weeks.
In Ten Hag's first window, a midfield linchpin was sought. United travelled to Thailand and Australia that summer while Frenkie de Jong headed to the United States with Barcelona. A deal for De Jong always seemed as distant.
The nearest De Jong got to the United crest
Two damaging results to Brighton and Brentford later, United were panicked into a £70m deal for Casemiro in late August. Without Casemiro, they might not have qualified for the Champions League that season.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was one of the weakest United managers, which may account for the enviable backing he often enjoyed. Whether you regarded a winger or a centre back as United's priority in 2021, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane were United's first two buys and they had both in the building before the season started.
The 2020 window was unique amid the Covid-19 pandemic, with United restricted to a four-week turnaround between the seasons. They had also been bolstered by the season-changing winter signing of Bruno Fernandes.
Fernandes joined United in January 2020
With a back five firmly established and United inundated with midfielders, an incisive forward was wanted. Sancho and Jack Grealish were unattainable. Donny van de Beek was on the same shortlist as the latter and, even with the protocols about isolating, was able to debut in United's first fixture.
Solskjaer had to wait a while for Harry Maguire in 2019, a summer infamous for United's one-at-a-time strategy. With the transfer window's closure date brought forward to before the start of the season, United spent roughly a month apiece to bring in Daniel James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka before the world-record £80m they spent on Maguire in August.
2018-19 had been United's worst defensive season in 40 years after Ed Woodward failed, or refused, to furnish Jose Mourinho with a new centre back. Maguire, also coveted by Mourinho, was priced at £75m by Leicester in 2018 and left for only £5m more a year later. Mourinho is the only modern United manager to be deprived of a priority target.
The £80m United paid for Maguire remains a world record fee for a defender
Cunha has been rubbing shoulders with Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, two Brazilians who got away from United. The club has a dire hit-rate with Brazilian players but Cunha is the first to join them who has already played in the Premier League.
So has Bryan Mbeumo. Mohamed Salah, Alexander Isak and Erling Haaland are the only players who scored more Premier League goals than Mbeumo in 2024-25. Mbeumo tallied a superb 20. Cunha got 15.
Nobody would expect, or want, either to lead the line for United. They have needed a proven goalscorer for three years and Liam Delap is not that. Delap is not a miss but missing out on him will prolong United's search for a striker, almost certainly into July. Perhaps even August.
Cunha may top the pre-season shirt sales.
Recent United priority target arrival dates
2024: Manuel Ugarte, August 30
2023: Rasmus Hojlund, August 5
2022: Casemiro, August 22
2021: Jadon Sancho, July 23
2020: Donny van de Beek, September 2
2019: Harry Maguire, August 5
2018: N/A