Liam Delap, who is stood with his back to the camera, chats to Pep Guardiola during Ipswich Town's defeat to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium back in August.
Liam Delap has earned praise from Pep Guardiola in the past.
Of the 30 Premier League goals Ipswich Town have scored this season, just over a third of them have been netted by Liam Delap.
The 22-year-old striker has blossomed in his first full season as a Premier League player and he netted his 11th goal of the campaign to help Ipswich clinch an eye-catching 2-1 victory over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Wednesday night.
Though it did little to strengthen Ipswich's chances of securing Premier League survival, with Kieran McKenna's side nine points adrift of safety with eight games to play, it was another feather in Delap's cap.
The striker is expected to be the subject of a wealth of transfer interest this summer and Manchester United are already being heavily linked with his signature. The Reds must make the addition of a No.9 this summer their leading objective.
Tuesday night's 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at the City Ground has left United with a -4 goal difference heading into their final eight games. The defeat of the banks of the Trent also marked their 11th Premier League game without scoring this season.
Despite head coach Ruben Amorim's best efforts to find a successful formula, United remain a team struggling to score goals. Bruno Fernandes is their leading goalscorer in the league this season with eight.
It is no secret United are going to have to prioritise a starting No.9 this summer to try and boost their attacking output. They have already been linked with a plethora of names and it remains to be seen which direction their market analysis will take them in.
Under Ineos' stewardship, United's recruitment strategy has changed, with the club targeting younger players with high ceilings and potential re-sale value. Having scored 11 goals in a side destined for relegation at the age of just 22, Delap fits the criteria perfectly.
But after splashing out £108.5million on Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, who were both raw and unproven, in back-to-back summer transfer windows, United find themselves in a position ahead of this summer's window where they can ill-afford to take another gamble in pursuit of a reliable goalscorer.
There is no absolutely no doubt Delap has had a brilliant season and could yet still add to his tally of 11 goals, but he only turned 22 in February and is only 31 appearances into his top flight career, with the England Under-21 international bagging his first two Premier League appearances at Manchester City under Pep Guardiola.
Liam Delap was on the scoresheet at Old Trafford in February. (Image: Copa/Getty Images.)
Prior to leaving City for a fee in the region of £20million last summer, Delap made six appearances, scoring one goal, netting in a League Cup victory over Bournemouth in September 2020. Guardiola was a fan of the youngster, ensuring he earned special recognition for his goalscoring ability.
Guardiola, speaking in February 2022, said: "He is the type of striker we don't have. He is a killer, a typical British striker, an incredible finisher. He has to improve when he drops, his first touch."
Ahead of City's trip to Portman Road to face Ipswich in January, Guardiola was asked what he had made of Delap's debut season as a Premier League regular, commenting: "When he was here, always we thought he was a typical striker for the Premier League. He's doing really well and we're happy for him."
Having worked with two of the greatest strikers of the Premier League era in Sergio Aguero and Erling Haaland, Guardiola is qualified to make a judgement on a striker, and Delap's finishing has lived up to his former manager's billing.
The striker, who will no doubt be dreaming of forcing his way into England boss Thomas Tuchel's plans for the June internationals, is an instinctive finisher, coming alive inside the box. He rarely needs a second invitation to shoot and his goal at Bournemouth saw him rifle in an unstoppable shot from inside the box.
He struck the ball with such venom, it was impressive that he managed to keep it down. It was the sign of a striker with all the necessary ingredients to enjoy a successful career at the highest level.
However, in the event of Ipswich going down, they are going to try and command as much money as possible for him this summer, and starting bids of £50m may be required just to get Ipswich to answer the phone. United should not be committing £50m to another striker who is still relatively raw.
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