The young striker Man Utd want to bring in to compete with Hojlund

With Anthony Martial set to leave Manchester United have set their eyes on a new number nine

15/01/2024, 10:07 PM +00:00

The young Dutch forward would bring a different profile to United

Since Robin Van Persie came to Manchester United in 2012 and won them a league title, Manchester United have struggled to find a consistent striker to start for them. They signed the likes of Radamel Falcao, Anthony Martial, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Romelu Lukaku, and many others. But all those signings were to no avail as United haven’t had a striker score 20 goals in the league for them since Van Persie.

The arrival of Rasmus Højlund this summer from Atalanta brought hope to United and their fans that their fortunes at striker can change. They finally had a young and upcoming striker who is meant to have great potential. United fans fell in love instantly as he has the physical attributes to dominate. However, early results have not been quite promising for the young Dane.

Rasmus has scored seven goals this season, with five of them coming in the Champions League which Manchester United are no longer a part of. He has only scored two Premier League goals, with both coming in his last two appearances against Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur. United hope that this is just the beginning, and that Rasmus can go on a nice goal streak. Rasmus previous form raised a good question, should United prioritize bringing in another striker to relieve some of the pressure off the youngster.

United had an original plan to bring in two strikers this summer but that failed to happen with only Højlund joining the club. They failed to capitalize on multiple opportunities this summer. With Martial not being available for selection most weeks and his contract expiring, United are in the market for a number nine whether it be in January or the summer. Joshua Zirkzee of Bologna is one that is very high on the list.

Zirkzee’s future

According to Florian Plattenberg, Manchester United have set their sights on Joshua Zirkzee and inquired about him this winter but their efforts were rebuffed by Bologna. United will now push for a summer move where it will be much more feasible as Zirkzee has a 40 million Euros release clause in the summer. United will face competition from the likes of Arsenal who are also interested in the player.