Jamie Carragher and Mark Hughes have urged Manchester United to go out and sign a world-class centre-forward ahead of next season, following a string of goalless draws in big matches for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.
“When the ball actually goes up to the front players, is there enough quality there?” Carragher said on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football. “Have they got that player to score in the decisive games, that player who is going to take them to the league title?
“People talk about Manchester United needing a right-winger, and they went for Jadon Sancho. But they need a centre-forward more than anything in my book, as well a right-winger. But that’s where they are lacking now.
“You look at the options, you think in this country of Harry Kane, or there’s Erling Haaland coming through.”
Former Manchester United forward Hughes agreed with Carragher, and added that the way the team play off Edinson Cavani is an indication that they would benefit from a younger option than the 34-year-old Uruguayan.
“For me they need maybe a Cavani five years ago when he was in his pomp,” Hughes said.
“They probably got him at the wrong time. He’s still an outstanding centre-forward though, and when I see him playing in this team I just think it gives them a little bit more focus. They’ve got confidence to go into his feet and things happen around them.
“Kane and Haaland are certainly the type of player they need to be in the market for.
“The reality is, their other players all want to play in any other position rather than down the middle. Marcus Rashford prefers to be on the left-hand side. Anthony Martial I think would prefer to be on the left-hand side. Greenwood prefers the right-hand side. They’ve all been tried down the middle, but since not one of them really wants to be there they need to get somebody with that quality to play down the middle and give them that focus.”
Kane and Haaland are among the top-rated forward in Europe, but how likely is it that United will be able to sign them and what other options are out there?
Harry Kane
When Hughes describes the player United require he is also listing Kane’s exact qualities as a striker. The Tottenham Hotspur forward’s combination of finishing ability, hold-up play and creative skills would make him the perfect focal point for Solskjaer’s attack, and Kane has already shown that he dovetails well with Rashford (and Sancho) in a similar tactical set-up for England.
The difficulty for United would be in tempting him away from Spurs. Even if Kane were to see a move to Old Trafford as enough to take him away from his boyhood club, it would almost certainly require an enormous bid to persuade chairman Daniel Levy to sell his star player to one of Tottenham’s direct rivals.
Erling Haaland
Haaland is arguably the most sought-after striker in Europe right now. The young Norwegian has been hotly tipped to join Real Madrid in the next two years, but a big bid from Manchester United could tempt him to link up with his compatriot and sometime confidant Solskjaer in the north-west of England.
Whether he would be the perfect fit is another matter.
Haaland’s physicality and presence can be misleading, with the reality of the Borussia Dortmund forward’s style of play being quite different to the multi-faceted player United perhaps need. While his goalscoring talent is undeniable, the 20-year-old is in the bottom 25 percent for attempted passes by strikers across Europe’s top five leagues (according to statistics provider fbref.com). And he is also often also a bystander in matches, making fewer touches per game than 90 percent of forwards in those major leagues.
Romelu Lukaku
Arguably the most in-form centre-forward who fits the mould that United require is their former player Lukaku. The Belgian has been a smash hit at Inter Milan since leaving Old Trafford in 2019, scoring 41 Serie A goals in 59 appearances and playing in exactly the sort of fashion that would work as the spearhead of United’s attack.
A return to Manchester for the 27-year-old would appear to be extremely unlikely, but stranger things have happened. And Lukaku did openly praise the work of Solskjaer in a recent social media Q&A with fans, saying: “He is doing great. You guys have to know that I love him as a manager and a person and I wish him nothing but the best.”
Raul Jimenez
An alternative option for United could be Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Raul Jimenez. The Mexico international will be 30 in the summer, so does perhaps not fit the profile that United are looking for in the transfer market. But that age, along with his lengthy absence this season as he recovers from a serious head injury, may well keep his price down.
In terms of style, Jimenez would offer a genuine focal point to United’s attack as well as a clinical eye in-front of goal – he has scored or assisted 37 times in 86 Premier League games for Wolves.
Jadon Sancho/Ousmane Dembélé
Finally, United could decide that their desired centre-forward has been sitting in their squad all along, and instead strengthen other parts of the forward line: Greenwood, Martial or Rashford are also possible candidates. Such a shift would be easier to implement were the squad to see a star right-sided forward also added in the transfer market. United’s previous interest in Sancho is well-documented, while Barcelona may still be willing to offload Ousmane Dembélé despite his upturn in form this season.
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