The striker has been linked with a Manchester United move in the past and continued to score goals year after year
Michael Carrick during Fulham vs Manchester United
Michael Carrick's Manchester United team have blown hot and cold in front of goal(Image: COLORSPORT/Ashley Western/Shutterstock)
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Manchester United prioritised their midfield over the summer but they have been urged to make an attacking addition. The front three of Bryan Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko and Matheus Cunha have scored four goals between them across the opening five games of the season.
Sesko, it should be noted, has played just 76 minutes after suffering an injury late last season - and the extra fixtures brought by Champions League qualification mean further reinforcements could be needed.
One player who was linked with an Old Trafford move before Sesko's arrival is Ivan Toney. The England striker was mentioned in connection with a move north while at Brentford but instead traded the Premier League for the Saudi Pro League.
Toney's goals for Al Ahli helped earn him an England recall for the World Cup and now Gary Pallister, a multiple title winner with United, has urged Michael Carrick to explore the possibility of bringing him back from the Gulf. The 30-year-old scored 32 league goals last season - more than the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema - and already has 10 from seven outings this term.
He also posted solid Premier League numbers for Brentford after helping lead them into the Premier League. He ended up with 36 in 83 league top-flight appearances and was the third-highest scorer in the division in 2022/23 behind Erling Haaland and Harry Kane.
“I think we need a more experienced player. Sesko is still young enough to be a big part of this squad, but he is not the finished article yet," Pallister told Betarades.gr. “We need someone who has the experience and knows the Premier League, but there aren't a lot of those experienced English strikers at the moment.
“I don't think we can pay enough money for Ivan Toney to come to Man Utd, considering the deal he has at the moment. But he scores goals and he has always scored goals in the Premier League. I am sure Ivan Toney would score goals and we need someone who knows the Premier League."
Ivan Toney celebrating an Al Ahli goal
Toney is the top scorer in the Saudi Pro League after seven games of the new season(Image: Getty Images)
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It isn't the first time Toney has been touted for a United switch. In April 2024, months before the striker's Al-Ahli move, Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony made the case for a player he worked with at London Road.
"Put him in an Arsenal team, put him in a Liverpool or a Man United team, he scores 30 Premier League goals in a season," MacAnthony told Sky Sports. "I think anyone who disagrees with that hasn't been watching the last two-and-a-half years.
"I think there's five clubs in the world who could probably end up buying him and he will improve any of those clubs by a mile. He turns Manchester United into challengers for the Premier League."