Sunday’s defeat to West Ham United proved yet another Premier League outing in which Manchester United failed to get on the scoresheet, with that 2-0 loss marking the 14th time that the Red Devils haven’t scored in a top-flight game this season.
A key crux of the issue is the woes of leading number nine, Rasmus Hojlund, with last term’s top scorer in all competitions having netted just four league goals thus far, while boasting just ten in total across all fronts.
At the weekend, the struggling Dane inexplicably failed to convert from point-blank range, having been denied by the sprawling Alphonse Areola, with the former Atalanta man unable to prove that he can be a 20-goal-a-season striker for an elite club.
That said, there remains the lack of service that the 22-year-old is being provided with, having actually only missed six ‘big chances’ in the league in 2024/25. For context, Ollie Watkins leads the way in the division with 26 big chances missed, albeit while having scored on 16 occasions.
A man who also ranks 180th in the league for shots per 90, at an average of just 1.52, Hojlund simply isn’t being given the chances. Nor, however, is he able to fashion them for himself.
Games (starts)
30 (25)
30 (21)
Goals
10
4
Big chances missed
13
6
Goal frequency
217min
463min
Assists
2
0
Big chances created
0
3
Key passes*
0.9
0.5
Pass accuracy*
77%
78%
Total duels won*
38%
29%
Possession lost*
6.6
6.1
Either way, after two years in Manchester, the £64m signing just isn’t cutting it. A new centre-forward has to be the priority this summer.
Latest on Man Utd's striker search
After signing Hojlund and £36.5m man, Joshua Zirkzee, across the last two summers, the Red Devils will once again head into a transfer window seeking a new striker, with a reunion with Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres having been mooted for Ruben Amorim.
Elsewhere, meanwhile, the Old Trafford side have reportedly shown an interest in RB Leipzig starlet, Benjamin Sesko, as well as exiled Napoli ace, Victor Osimhen, albeit with competition likely to be rife for that trio.
The same could also be said of a man who appears to be United’s leading target at present, in the form of Ipswich Town talisman, Liam Delap, with journalist Ben Jacobs suggesting that Amorim and co are “optimistic” of winning the race for his signature, should they win the Europa League.
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Indeed, Jacobs goes on to note that United and rivals Chelsea are the two clubs currently leading the race for the 22-year-old, with those at Old Trafford said to have already made a “strong pitch” to the Englishman.
Available for just £30m, amid the presence of a relegation clause in his Portman Road contract, the suggestion is that INEOS have the means to be able to sign Delap as well as Matheus Cunha, thus providing two ready-made, Premier League options.
While there may be doubts over whether Delap is simply just another Hojlund, as a young, relatively unproven addition, perhaps United should look to the past for reason for encouragement.
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Amid the names being circulated at present, such as Gyokeres and Osimhen, it would be underwhelming in a sense to end up with Delap, a player who only scored eight goals in the Championship last season for Hull City.
Even this term, the England U21 international has chipped in with a respectable, albeit unspectacular return of 12 league goals for the Tractor Boys, having been unable to steer Kieran McKenna’s side to safety.
And yet, the case of a certain Carlos Tevez could offer a sense of optimism for those of a United persuasion, with the Argentine maverick – who was just 23 at the time – having also been plucked from a struggling side back in 2007, following what was also his first season at Premier League level.
Equally, it wasn’t as if the now-retired star had actually ripped it up throughout that 2006/07 campaign for West Ham United, having ended the season with just seven league goals, after only breaking his duck for the Hammers in early March.
Signed on an initial two-year loan deal by Sir Alex Ferguson that summer, Tevez – who scored against United on the final day to keep the Irons in the division – went on to form part of a devastating frontline alongside Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo over the next two years, with the trio notably steering the club to Champions League glory in 2008.
In all, the former Boca Juniors man would score 34 goals in 99 games under Ferguson’s watch, prior to his controversial exit to Manchester City in 2009, having particularly stood out due to his relentless work ethic. As Ferguson noted, he was “like a terrier” in his pomp when leading the line.
While a far more imposing presence at 6 foot 1, Delap does also boast that workman-like, all-action approach as a centre-forward, having been lauded as a “wrecking ball” by Sky Sports’ Lewis Jones.
Also dubbed a “huge talent” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, the former Manchester City asset appears to relish the battle at the top end of the pitch, having repeatedly tussled with Harry Maguire during United’s 3-2 win over Ipswich earlier this year.
Of course, the young Tevez walked into a side that already contained world-class talents, while Delap, by contrast, would be expected to take on a leading role in Amorim’s 3-4-3 set-up.
That said, for the Englishman to have impressed as part of a struggling outfit, much like Tevez did at West Ham, does bode well for the impact he can make in Manchester, not least having already been tested against Premier League opposition.
Whether or not the promising striker does end up at Old Trafford, this is a decision that Amorim and co simply can’t afford to get wrong.
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