Manchester United to welcome Welbeck or Mateta amid Hojlund, Zirkzee struggles

Manchester United need a new striker because Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund are nowhere near good enough.

Not yet, anyway. They were both signed for the present and future, yet the former appears to be a lost cause. Time is on their side and we could yet see Hojlund justify his £72million transfer fee and Zirkzee his £36million price.

Ruben Amorim is expected to delve into the striker market this summer but he should forget about your Alexander Isaks and Benjamin Seskos of the world; Manchester United could do a lot worse than these eight players.

Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace)

The ultimate ‘You know what? Manchester United could do a lot worse than Player X’, Jean-Philippe Mateta has been on fire again for Crystal Palace this season and certainly knows where the back of the net is, which appears to be alien to the Red Devils’ strikers.

A true Modern Day Barclaysman, Mateta has scored eight goals in his last eight appearances, including a match-winning brace at Old Trafford, getting back to the form we loved in the second half of 2023/24 when he went on a run of 14 goals in Crystal Palace’s last 16 Premier League matches. Sure, he is a bit hot and cold, but Zirkzee and Hojlund are just cold.

Some believe Mateta’s downside is his age, but he is only 27 and he is 27 until he is 28, which is important to remember. The years 26-29 have always been regarded as a player’s prime years but in modern football, it is more like 27-33, with all the sports science and nutrition malarkey going on. There is a chance Mateta is only just getting started and around better more expensive players, we might see his game reach another level.

Mateta is not a joke option – he should be a deadly serious target for Manchester United. They have brought in two young strikers with no Premier League experience to no success so it is time to change it up and the big Frenchman is the best option out there. Palace’s demands should not be too unreasonable and Mateta will surely be open to the move, even if the Eagles are five points better off in the Premier League table.

Danny Welbeck (Brighton and Hove Albion)

A strong second favourite to Mateta, with the former player and being 34 years old narratives adding something different. Erik ten Hag reportedly suggested signing Danny Welbeck last summer and ‘serious thought’ was given to lodging a bid, only for the ex-Red Devils youngster to brush off interest and stay at Brighton.

The 42-cap former England international is aging very gracefully after some pretty average yet productive years at Arsenal and Watford. He has enjoyed his best individual period at the Seagulls, joining from the Hornets on a free transfer in October 2020. Expectations were pretty low but Welbeck has been a fantastic servant and could be set for another crack at Old Trafford, 14 years after his surprise £16million transfer to the Gunners.

The sort of finishes, like the one we recently saw against Newcastle United in the FA Cup, are something we would be shocked to see from Zirkzee or Hojlund. Not only does Welbeck have a finer final product, but his experience makes him an asset out of possession and that know-how in the final third would win United more free-kicks and get those around the striker more involved.

Again, this is a very serious option for United. It remains to be seen if Welbeck is keen on a return to Manchester, though.

Liam Delap (Ipswich Town)

What better to get Manchester United back to the upper echelons of football than the signing of a young and hungry English striker with a point to prove to their city rivals?

Young Delap never got a fair crack of the whip at Manchester City, which is not surprising considering he was competing with the best goalscorer in world football, Erling Haaland. Not only that, but the Premier League champions are more keen on paying big money for players than developing and playing them regularly. You do have Phil Foden and Rico Lewis, but other than that, James McAtee is destined to leave and Oscar Bobb is having to compete with new signings every season.

City’s youth academy is one of the best in the world, yet the sole purpose seems to be for success at that level and then big profit, selling young stars like Liam Delap, Romeo Lavia, Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Cole Palmer. Buy-back clauses are usually inserted in their sales, but they are never executed. It is an insurance policy that was not applied to Palmer’s move to Chelsea, which will no doubt fill the club with infinite regret.

As for Delap, there is reportedly a £40million option to re-sign and they would not be silly to trigger it as extra depth up front, with an injury to Erling Haaland leaving Omar Marmoush – who Pep Guardiola prefers out wide – as the only senior No. 9 option. City will have to cross that bridge at the end of the season because Ipswich are going down and Delap is staying up.

With 10 goals in 27 Premier League matches this season, Premier League clubs will be circling and Man United would be foolish not to throw their hat in the Delap ring. Unfortunately for their fans, being foolish is something we strongly associate with this club.

READ MORE: Premier League signings of the season: Forest, Bournemouth duos make top 10; one ‘Big Six’ player

Taiwo Awoniyi (Nottingham Forest)

There is no shame in being limited to pity minutes off the bench when your club’s starting striker is a goal machine like Christopher Wood.

Without Awoniyi, there would be no Nottingham Forest Champions League push; they would probably be struggling in the Championship having signed a ridiculous amount of players ahead of their first year back in the Premier League. The Nigerian international scored six huge goals in Forest’s last four matches in 2022/23 to keep them above the relegation zone.

Last season, Awoniyi was riddled with injuries, which allowed Wood to establish himself as the club’s first-choice striker. The ex-Liverpool youngster has only started twice in the Premier League this campaign and is yet to complete a full 90 minutes. His lack of playing time means two things: Forest are willing to get shot of him and the player is open to leaving.

Enter Manchester United. Awoniyi’s experience of scoring goals to keep clubs up could end up being priceless.

Matheus Cunha (Wolves)

Firstly, duh. Secondly, Manchester United might actually be beneath Wolverhampton Wanderers’ talisman. For the first time, it’s not about whether or not the Red Devils would be open to signing someone, but if the player would be open to joining that toxic work environment. At the end of the day, This Is Manchester United Football Club We’re Talking About, of course Matheus Cunha would join them in a heartbeat.

Cunha is probably the best player on this list but he is the least strikery out of the lot. His game is more than scoring goals, and he is pretty good at that.

The Brazilian agreed a new contract with Wolves earlier this year after transfer speculation in January but there is no chance he sees that deal through to its 2029 expiry; the end goal is a transfer away and it will probably come this summer. There is reportedly a £60million release clause in there and there is bound to be interest from a host of Premier League clubs.

Jonathan David (Lille)

It’s time to go continental and who better to start with than the player we have all heard of but never watched play?

Jonathan David’s contract expires at the end of the season, making him an incredible potential signing for any club in the world. He has scored 31 goals in 59 Canada caps, 11 in 21 Champions League matches and 85 in 169 in Ligue Un. It remains a mystery that he is still at Lille, with all due respect. There have been transfer links every single transfer window, starting with a potential £60million move in 2021 to a cut-price deal last summer, yet no club has taken a punt.

Now David is available on a free transfer, clubs will be lining up outside Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Even though Man United are a state, they will be hard to turn down if they make a move for the 25-year-old. Saying that, clubs like Barcelona and Arsenal could be there too.

READ MORE: Best Robert Lewandowski replacements with Barcelona ‘in love’ with £150m Arsenal target

Hamza Igamane (Rangers)

Rogue, we know. Going near any Rangers player would certainly be bold considering how pathetic they have been this season, domestically anyway.

Igamane’s form has been, to put it mildly, pretty terrible in recent weeks but if he can rediscover his November to January self, he will get the summer transfer he craves, and why not to Man United?

The 22-year-old Moroccan announced himself with a brace and assist in a sensational 4-1 Europa League victory at Nice, going on to score three in his next four before a run of seven goals and one assist in six Scottish Premiership matches.

Igamane is lacking confidence and that is to be expected. His manager was recently sacked, Rangers are 16 points behind Celtic and have failed to win either domestic cup. It is a miserable time at Ibrox and should Igamane buck up his ideas between now and the end of the season, he will likely push for a summer exit – and if he does, Rangers fans will be more than happy to see him go.

He does not fit the bill as a proven Premier League goalscorer like Mateta or Champions League/top-five league scorer like David, but Igamane would add something different to this Red Devils attack and should be considered if he regains his form.

Evann Guessand (Nice)

Transfermarkt values 23-year-old Ivory Coast and Nice striker Evann Guessand at a measly €20million (£16.8million), which is a very respectable figure for someone with 10 goals and seven assists in 25 Ligue Un matches this season.

Having not heard of Guessand fits perfectly into the discourse, so let’s give you a short biography.

Evann Ludovic Vidjannagni Guessand – fantastic start – actually came through the Nice academy and represented France – where he was born – at Under 16, 17, 18 and 19 level before making his senior debut for the Ivory Coast. After two years playing for Nice B, he spent a year on loan at Swiss side Lausanne-Sport and then at Nantes in the French top flight. His numbers were pretty rubbish until this season, when he has caught fire for Nice.

WhoScored tell us that Guessand likes to dribble, gets fouled often, likes to play short passes, is an indirect set-piece threat and his strengths include through balls, dribbling and defensive contribution. His weaknesses are holding on to the ball, passing and crossing. He is versatile as well, capable of playing through the middle and on either wing.

This one season of good form makes Guessand a wildcard. Seventeen goal contributions in 25 games in a top-five league should not be overlooked and considering we are talking about Manchester United, being the such a rogue shout, this singular season probably makes him the most realistic signing. If they don’t sign him now, they will try to for double the price after he stars for a Premier League rival.

Remember folks, it is important to remember not to show disdain at any of these suggestions; this Is Manchester United after all, and Manchester United are sh*t.

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