Why Manchester United are failing to sign a striker amid the wait for a transfer breakthrough

Man United require a new striker following a -1 goal difference in 2023-24 and -10 in 2024-25, but the wait is set to continue.

If you look at the first team part of Manchester United’s website, you’ll notice that their biggest difficulties are at the bottom of the list.

Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, both without squad numbers, are the final two players on the list. Antony and Alejandro Garnacho are located above them.

There are 33 players on that page. We can leave out the aforementioned quartet and Tyrell Malacia from the senior team. Dan Gore and Ethan Wheatley cannot be regarded first-teamers, and it is premature to designate Tyler Fredricson such position, despite his recent squad number increase.

Diego Leon’s profile has been added to the first-team page, but the 18-year-old’s debut season is likely to be similar to Sekou Kone’s. One of acclimatisation, with few possibilities at the senior level.

So the roster is reduced to a lean 24 players, an excellent size for a season with no European nights on the schedule. But sellable assets cannot simply be written off.

Rashford, Antony, Sancho, and Garnacho jointly earn £825,000 each week. They are all still on United’s roster, and it is likely that they will remain so until August.

It is unlikely that United will sell all four. Garnacho has suitors, and Sancho cannot command such a big fee after four erratic years with a year left on his contract. Antony has established a market, but his profitability and sustainability-calculated value (£32.58 million) is unlikely to be purchased by a buying club.

Wilcox identified a striker signing but Liam Delap chose Chelsea

Antony may have to take out a season-long loan with a fixed fee to be paid at the end, barring a Sancho-style loophole. Rashford’s wage, the three years remaining on his contract, and his preference for a change of scenery make a loan inevitable.

Rashford spent four hours in the gym on Monday morning. Almost all of his Instagram posts this summer have been exercise videos. He has also led solo sessions at Carrington. He is attempting to attract attention.

It’s likely that United will continue to foot some of the tab for two prominent forwards next season. Then there are two strikers in whom they have invested £108.5 million, a high-profile teenage striker who was promoted to the first team about six months ago, and five players capable of playing as a No.10. They’re more stocked than an Ikea warehouse.

Any idea that United will quickly sign a striker is absurd given their bloated and expensive attacking squad. Liam Delap was a convenient option because he had a cheap release clause and played for a demoted club that was more interested in promoting Ed Sheeran concerts than staying in the Premier League.

Hojlund and Zirkzee cost £108.5m

According to sources, Jason Wilcox, United’s new director of football, is well loved and respected by the club’s staff. According to Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Wilcox has the “best eyes in football”. He didn’t have to seek far for Delap, a player he had seen at Manchester City’s academy while serving as director.

United are still reeling from the £72 million deal they struck with Atalanta for Rasmus Hojlund, who was purchased for £64 million up front two years ago. While United were in talks with Atalanta, one of the coaching staff said they would be unable to invest £60 million on another striker the next summer.

When United needed another striker last year, they had to make a compromise and pay a release clause for Joshua Zirkzee, who cost around half as much as Hojlund at £36.5 million. It was subsequently revealed that Zirkzee is not a specialist striker.

United had been linked with Viktor Gyokeres and Hugo Ekitike, but nothing was confirmed. Both players appear to be on their way to Premier League clubs Arsenal and Newcastle United, both of which have qualified for Champions League. United notified Christopher Nkunku’s advisors that they are not quite as interested as his parent club, Chelsea, stated.

Expect Google search interest in Benjamin Sesko to increase this week, since he is the only high-profile and attainable striker waiting in the wings. Sesko turned down United in 2022 to sign with RB Leipzig, but his agency has since paid several visits to Old Trafford and Carrington.

Hojlund joined United in 2023

Sesko, who is under contract until 2029, would fetch at least twice as much as United was willing to pay for Delap. United has eight senior out-and-out forwards, with the majority earning six-figure weekly salaries. The statistics do not add up for a team that admitted to a supporters’ organization that it is struggling to comply with PSR.

Guaranteed sales are much more important now that the price of a No. 9 has increased. Reinventing Matheus Cunha or Bryan Mbeumo (if he ever arrives) as a true striker would be a complete sham.

Sesko was of interest to United in 2022

Persevering with Hojlund would require blind confidence. Senior figures at United criticized Hojlund last season, predicting his exit this summer. Inter Milan inquired about the Dane in June.

The quest for a striker is expected to continue until the September 1 transfer deadline. United’s priority purchases are frequently among the last to arrive (Manuel Ugarte in 2024, Hojlund in 2023, Casemiro in 2022, and Harry Maguire in 2019).

United finished the previous two seasons with a negative goal differential. It was literally tenfold worse in 2024-25 than the prior campaign. The nock of the arrow has to be sharpened.

However, there are issues at the bottom of the pile that need to be addressed first.