Man United kick off their summer schedule this afternoon with a game against Championship opposition but the need for a new striker is even clearer when viewing the travelling squad.
Manchester United will line up against Leeds United in their pre-season opener without a recognised senior striker in the squad.
With Marcus Rashford not involved after international duty and Anthony Martial not travelling as he continues to recover from ιɴjυɾу, the options available to Erik ten Hag extєɴԀ to wide forwards such as Jadon Sancho and Amad, and young prospects.
Shola Shoretire, Joe Hugill, Noam Emeran and Omari Forson are the quartet of youngsters seeking a role against the Championship club. None of those four will be regulars in the first team next season and with Martial’s patchy ιɴjυɾу record and Rashford’s desire to play out wide, the necessity for a fresh Old Trafford centre forward is emphasised.
Rasmus Hojlund seems the man most likely to fill the void with theRedsin talks with the Atalanta striker over a move. The Denmark international is far from the finished article, understandably so given he is only 20, but he has promise and potential, earning comparisons to Erling Haaland.
The Dane impressed in the second half of the season in Serie A, netting eight of his nine goals down the stretch while he had a flying start to his international career which saw him net a hat-trick against Finland among a tally of six goals in six appearances.
Question marks will surround his ability to hit the ground running in the Premier League but he has pace and power to trouble defences at the focal point of Ten Hag’s attack while United’s striker coach Benni McCarthy could undoubtedly help hone his finishing.
As a left-footer he will provide an alternative dynamic up top and his national team coach has noted his development over the past few months, from a starting point at Danish side FC Copenhagen which failed to yield a goal, to becoming one of the most talked about talents in Europe.
“We have noticed that he has entered the camp in a different way than last time,” said Kasper Hjulmand,speaking in March. “He has worked well with himself. He has also shown in training a sharpened quality in parts of his game.
“He was simply so hungry to score goals. It was a boyhood dream for him to play in Parken for Denmark and an even bigger boyhood dream to score goals. It’s incredibly nice to see a young guy burn it off.
“Not only did he score goals, but he also took part in the defensive work and did a good job for the team.
“It is important that he keeps the perfect balance between the courage, self-confidence and self-belief of youth and the extreme humility and hard work that is required to perform in a football match.”
One boyhood dream of scoring for his country in his home stadium has been ticked off, as a lifelong United fan a second ambition could follow this summer.
