Rasmus Hojlund’s effort to answer Manchester United’s striker question

In May, United finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest finish since relegation from the top division in 1974. Tottenham’s failure in the Europa League final deepened the disappointment.

Amorim recognizes the need for significant change.

And for that to happen, his team needs to score more goals. Last season, they only finished 44th in the league.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the minority owner, met with chief executive Omar Berrada and technical director Jason Wilcox in Iceland the previous week. It is generally safe to presume that the centre-forward position was considered.

There’s no doubt they wanted Delap. United have been eyeing the domestic market because Amorim wants to recruit players who won’t need time to adjust to the Premier League. But Chelsea secured the deal.

Since then, the names of other alternatives have evolved.

Viktor Gyokeres opted for a move to Arsenal.

Viktor Gyokeres was considered a target from the moment Amorim was appointed, considering their success together at Sporting and the 27-year-old’s performance in the Championship with Coventry.

However, Gyokeres is set to join Arsenal.

Nicolas Jackson’s name keeps coming up in connection with United. There have been discussions about the Chelsea forward, but it does not appear that United will attempt to get him.

Aston Villa promptly pulled down a link to their forward Ollie Watkins, indicating that they have no intention of selling. Could United put this to the test?

Watkins is an interesting case since he fell down the pecking order at Villa when Marcus Rashford, who Amorim didn’t want, arrived on loan.

Would a more costly Watkins, 29, who has scored 75 goals in 184 Premier League games, be a better option than a less expensive Jackson, who has been both terrific and unpredictable at Chelsea, often in the same game?

Man Utd will need to raise finances

Former Everton striker Moise Kean, who re-established his reputation in Serie A with Fiorentina, Randal Kolo Muani, who is back at Paris St-Germain following a loan spell with Juventus, and Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta are all expected to be available.

The same goes for RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko, though Newcastle seems a more likely destination for the Slovenian.

Then there are the wildcards: out-of-contract attackers like Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Jamie Vardy.

However, none of these approaches are without danger. And for United, money are tight, and there are numerous flaws to address.

Amorim mentioned the need for more energy in midfield following last Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Leeds in Stockholm.

Amorim did not address the extra difficulties, but others did: Goalkeeper, central defender, and right-sided wing back. The list goes on.

Not all of this can be handled in a single transfer window. It is feasible that 12 months from now, if he is still in office, Amorim will still be working to address issues that present today as well as those that arise in the future months.

Money is valuable, and United needs to raise some.

They may have generated around £30 million this summer by activating sell-ons for Alvaro Carreras, who left Benfica for Real Madrid, Anthony Elanga joining Newcastle, and Maxi Oyedele moving to Strasbourg, as well as covering Rashford’s wages for the season through his loan move to Barcelona, but more needs to be done.

Rashford was one of five undesired players effectively ejected from the first-team picture by Amorim, the others being Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho, Antony, and Tyrell Malacia. Selling those four could yield more money, but Amorim has warned they would not be allowed to depart cheaply.

Garnacho is a player who can command a sizable fee, albeit not the £60 million United had hoped for this summer. He might be crucial, particularly if Chelsea returns for a player they were close to signing in January.

However, for the time being, Amorim must make the most of his resources.

The Case for Sticking with Hojlund

Chido Obi, 18, started the match against Leeds in Sweden. However, the former Arsenal youth now appears to be an impact player.

Hojlund took over in the second half. As usual, he worked hard, didn’t get the service a centre-forward would expect, and gave his all for the team.

However, as usual, he did not score. Over two years at United, he has 26 goals in 95 competitive appearances, averaging slightly more than one every four games.

The numbers aren’t horrible. However, they include a streak of five goals in four games last season and eight in eight the year before. Statistics can be altered to suit any argument, but removing those two sequences yields 13 goals in 83 appearances, or more than six games per goal. That is clearly not good enough.

The question is whether Hojlund can extend his more productive stints or if they skew the overall picture.

On Friday, Amorim gave the impression that he has not given up on the 22-year-old, who cost United £72 million when they signed him from Serie A club Atalanta in 2023.

In his first media appearance of the summer in Chicago, United’s head coach addressed a few key points.

To begin, he stated that he would be content to continue playing with his present team in the upcoming season. In actuality, he couldn’t say anything else because there is no certainty of future signings.

Second, he reiterated his view that his attacking reinforcements, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, could both play as spearheads in addition to the number 10 duties they appear best suited for.

But it was at the end of a long unconnected answer concerning captain Bruno Fernandes that Amorim may have offered a hint of his thoughts.

The coach wants Fernandes to play deeper, away from those two valued number ten slots. He believes the Portuguese can do more harm this way since he will not be marked as tightly.

“If you have the threat of players; of Rasmus, Matheus and Brian, in the space and a player with Bruno’s quality on the ball, it’s really important,” he went on.

Events can change quickly at Old Trafford, but the namecheck suggests Hojlund will play alongside Cunha, Mbeumo, and Fernandes at the MetLife and beyond.

And if he finds a spark in three pre-season games against West Ham, Bournemouth, and Everton over the next nine days, United’s leadership may take notice.

The search for a striker has been a recurring theme this summer, to varying degrees.

Can Hojlund finally prove he is the answer?