Manchester United have two talented teenage strikers they need to nurtureplaceholder image
Manchester United have two talented teenage strikers they need to nurture | Manchester United
Man Utd want to add to their squad in the summer transfer window with a striker targeted.
Manchester United are back in pre-season training, but there is a familiar feeling about things.
Matheus Cunha and Diego Leon are the only two new arrivals, and there have been no major departures yet. A few veterans have left as free agents, but Marcus Rashford continues to train alone, and Alejandro Garnacho can only post cryptic updates about his upcoming summer move. No matter how many times we say Jadon Sancho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia are all certain to leave, none of them have.
It means Rasmus Hojlund will likely lead the line when they face Leeds in their first summer friendly next week. The Danish striker is adamant he wants to fight for his future at the club, and he was not one of the five told to take an extended summer break to facilitate a transfer. In an ideal world, United would like to upgrade him, but there is no guarantee they will.
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Ruben Amorim would like to add a proven goalscorer to his squad this summer as he looks to improve an attacking that managed just 44 goals in the Premier League last season. Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo managed an impressive haul of 35 between themselves.
United have already missed out on preferred target Liam Delap and dream addition Viktor Gyokeres is poised to join Arsenal. It is hard to pinpoint who they should go for instead. While there is a need for a better striker to lead the attack next season, United must also take into consideration the players at their disposal who could eventually be moulded into one. The proposed addition of Mbeumo alongside Cunha should already significantly increase their threat in the final third, so perhaps a seismic improvement on Hojlund isn't actually required.
Ollie Watkins is not elite but would be an upgrade on what they already have. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Callum Wilson and Jamie Vardy are viewed as last resorts, but even then, there would be merit in adding a Premier League-proven scorer to the squad. If they signed one of that trio though, they'd likely have to keep Hojlund as well.
That might sound like regression, but it could lead them towards progression. United also need to consider the teenage talent of Chido Obi and Enzo Kana-Biyik, both of whom have the raw credentials to be transformed into starting strikers, though that is still a long way off. They are unlike typical United youngsters in that they were plucked from other clubs rather than the suburbs of Manchester. To sign them both in their late teenage years is also an indication that they are players with genuine potential rather than harmless transfer punts.
Kana-Biyik has immediately joined Lausanne-Sport on a season-long loan, and Obi is expected to play as an understudy to the first team, with regular senior involvement. In a year, one of them could be ready to make an impact in the first-team squad.
That is another factor Ruben Amorim must consider now amid the pressure to deliver immediate results. United not only need to sign a striker who can improve them this summer, they must sign one who doesn't impede the development of their next striker either.
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