Rasmus Hojlund of Manchester United looks dejected in the defeat to Chelsea
Rasmus Hojlund of Manchester United looks dejected in the defeat to Chelsea
Even before Rasmus Hojlund's much publicised struggles against Chelsea on Friday evening, it was abundantly clear to anybody who has watched Manchester United this season that they need to sign a new forward this summer.
Hojlund fired another blank as United fell to a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea which means they will head into the final weekend of the Premier League season in a desperate 16th place.
United have managed just 42 goals in the league this season, with only Everton having a worse record outside of the three clubs who have been relegated.
The club's two forwards, Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, have managed just seven league goals between them despite costing the club a combined £108.9million.
Both players are under 23, and could well still fulfil their potential, but that record simply isn't good enough for a club the size of United and won't be good enough to propel them back to challenging at the top end of the Premier League table.
The Manchester Evening News revealed last month that United are keen to address their goalscoring woes and will target moves for Wolves' Matheus Cunha and Ipswich Town's Liam Delap.
Cunha, who has a £62.5million release clause, seems a natural fit in one of the two attacking midfield roles, where he would compete with Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes for a place in the side.
The Brazil international has scored 17 goals this season, but his addition won't necessarily close the glaring goalscoring chasm at the club, given Fernandes has 19 goals and Garnacho has 11 and are the club's top goalscorers.
Meanwhile, Delap has 12 goals in a relegated side and, aged 22, has huge potential to improve. But can United afford to hang their hat on another forward who has potential and isn't the finished article?
Paul Scholes made the case this week that Delap, who has a £30million release clause, would be a fine signing for United but they would also need to sign a more experienced forward to share the goalscoring responsibility.
The issue with that, of course, would mean that United would probably have to sell both Hojlund and Zirkzee and commanding the fees they would need to avoid a loss with profit and sustainability rules may prove to be an issue.
The theory is if Delap has scored 12 goals in a relegated side, then surely he will score even more in a side that is competitive.
But United have been stung by the signings of Hojlund and Zirkzee and they have to make sure they get their next striker signing right.
The upside of the Delap deal is obvious but United have to consider whether his arrival alone will improve their goalscoring fortunes.