Ruben Amorim at Carrington.
Ruben Amorim is gearing up for his first pre-season campaign in charge.
With just over two weeks to go until the opening game of Manchester United's pre-season tour of the United States, time is running out to get new signings through the door ahead of crossing the Atlantic.
After wrapping up the signing of from Wolves nice and early last month, United immediately turned their attention to trying to sign Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo.
Despite making two offers, the second of which was in excess of £60million, are yet to reach an agreement with the Bees. It means some supporters are becoming frustrated and restless.
After finishing 15th in the Premier League last term, United went into this summer's window knowing the scale of the changes that needed to be made. They have prioritised attacking signings and the prospect of heading to the US with Cunha and in the bank would be fantastic.
In addition to trying to sign Cunha and Mbeumo, United also want a centre-forward. But after Liam Delap joined Chelsea last month, their striker search is yet to provide an answer.
There is a strong chance United's search for a No.9 will still be active by the time the Premier League season starts in mid-August. United had to wait until the final day of last summer's window to recruit Manuel Ugarte, who was drafted in to fix their biggest problem position.
With their pursuit of Mbeumo still ongoing, United are highly unlikely to get him and a striker through the door ahead of the opening game of the Premier League Summer Series against West Ham United in New Jersey on July 27.
It means the responsibility of leading United's attack in the US is likely to rest on the shoulders of either or . The former has not had a full pre-season at United after arriving too late in August 2023 and getting injured in the first game of last summer's tour.
Obi, too, has not had a pre-season since joining United. He joined the club last September and had to go through what was essentially an individual pre-season before being unleashed for the Under-18s and later graduating to the first-team.
Chido Obi has made rapid progress at Manchester United. (Image: Zohaib Alam - MUFC/Manchester United via Getty Images.)
Hojlund scored just ten goals last season, meaning justifiable doubts have been raised about him leading United's attack in 2025/26. The Reds are open to selling him and .
Hojlund has regressed since joining United and a lot of supporters have given up on him. There is no doubt the club needs to recruit a new starting striker this summer.
But until United oversee a crop of sales, they will be unable to fund the addition of a No.9 amid the £62.5m signing of Cunha and the ongoing pursuit of Mbeumo. United will also owe £89m on signings from previous windows this summer.
With patience required, Obi will be looking to make his mark in pre-season and potentially leapfrog Hojlund in the pecking order in the race to become Amorim's first-choice No.9 in the US.
The talented 17-year-old ended last season on a positive note, scoring two goals in United's 3-1 win over Hong Kong on the post-season tour. It goes without saying the outcome of that match meant nothing and the second half goals Obi plundered have not even made the record books.
However, the Danish youth international demonstrated in that second half that he has the natural instincts all good strikers need to have. His opener saw him swivel inside the box and fire home an instinctive finish before he anticipated a Mason Mount cross to head home his second.
Chido Obi got two goals against Hong Kong. (Image: Yu Chun ChristopherWong/Manchester United via Getty Images.)
His movement to ensure he was in the right place at the right time was down to his natural instincts, which is something that can be rarely taught on the training ground.
It must be stressed that this is not an argument for Obi to become United's main striker come the start of the season. There is an obvious need for the Reds to recruit an established goalscorer to spearhead their attack this summer.
But with their striker search no closer to being solved, Amorim could throw caution to the wind in pre-season and look ahead to United's long-term future by giving Obi the nod.
What is the worst that can happen?