Manchester United have had some of the greatest centre forwards to have played in England.
Manchester United have struggled to find a reliable striker since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson, but Old Trafford was previously home to elite strikers such as Eric Cantona and Wayne Rooney.
Ruben Amorim is tasked with restoring United to its former glories. To achieve that, the United head coach needs to strengthen multiple areas of the team.
After a turbulent 2024/25 campaign, with United losing the Europa League final and finishing 15th in the Premier League, Amorim may want to address the problems his team suffered in front of goal.
Rasmus Hojlund struggled to provide goals, and United were yet again reliant on Bruno Fernandes to get on the scoresheet from midfield. That helps explain how Fernandes was voted United Player of the Year for a fourth season.
United have signed Matheus Cunha from Wolves to try and address that. Furthermore, the Red Devils have made a second bid for Bryan Mbeumo. The Brentford forward scored 20 goals in the Premier League last season and would be a welcome addition.
There would still be room for a new striker in the squad, which has United fans reminiscing about strikers of yesteryear, such as Ruud van Nistelrooy and Denis Law.
Paul Ince posing in a Manchester United shirt
Photo by Ben Radford/Allsport/Getty Images
Paul Ince names Mark Hughes as the best Man Utd striker
As a member of Ferguson’s first great United side, former England midfielder Paul Ince played with several top-class players.
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Ince spent six years at Old Trafford before joining Inter Milan in 1995.
‘The Guvnor’ was a reliable presence in Ferguson’s midfield, but he played with several top strikers during his time at United, including Cantona.
Ince didn’t need to think twice when asked who the best striker he played with at United was, though. He couldn’t look past Mark Hughes.
“Mark Hughes! Sparky without a doubt,” Ince told United In Focus.
“When I think about Hojlund and his retention of the ball is not being very good. It’s something he needs to work on, which he is doing as a young striker. That made me think about Sparky and the way he would bring the ball down with a touch. He was unbelievable, tough as nails, and he’d score spectacular goals.
“The equaliser against Oldham in the semi-final of the FA Cup comes to mind. He was just a beast.”
What is Hughes doing now?
It was announced in May that Hughes would remain Carlisle United manager following their relegation from League Two to the National League.
Hughes has been in charge at Carlisle since February following Mike Williamson’s dismissal.
Carlisle suffered relegation under Hughes’ management but he was not blamed for their bad results. They were five points from safety when he took over, with 18 games remaining.
Hughes will hope to take Carlisle back to the EFL.
Paul Ince spoke ahead of the final #RifeDontMiss Challenge, celebrating the launch of the new RIFE Black Edition putters. To register for the final qualifier and be in with a chance of winning £50,000, sign up here.