Højlund has had a somewhat torrid time at Manchester United with very lacklustre performances sandwiched by the odd goal with only 3 Premier League goals as of 19th of April. As we approach the end of the season and the summer transfer window right around the corner the question is should United buy a replacement? To have a fair assessment we need to look not only at Højlund but the options to replace him as if United were to sell they would definitely require another number 9.
Embed from Getty ImagesIn the summer of 2023, United bought Højlund for an initial £64 million from Atalanta only one year after Atalanta paid £17 million for him. In that one year what kind of performances caused that hike? 9 goals in 32 appearances – Joint 20th in top scorer. These stats do not represent a £64 million striker but maybe it was a mix of performance and potential. If you compare some of the signings in the same window, for the price of Højlund you could have bought Griezmann, Gyokores and Sesko. I am playing devil’s advocate here by picking the best buys and it never always ends up like this and with United’s last 10 years of recruitment it is very rare a player bought is seen as a good deal.
Embed from Getty ImagesNow selling Højlund is one thing but United MUST bring in a replacement and that is easier said than done. As Ipswich look to be going down one option is Liam Delap who apparently has a £30 million release clause in his contract if Ipswich go down. Delap and Højlund only have an age difference of 4 days and yet Delap has 4x the amount of Prem goals than Højlund this season.
Embed from Getty ImagesAnother option is 150 miles north with Matheus Cunha (25) at Wolves. Cunha could play as an out and out striker but also could drop into one of the number 10s as an option to suit Ruben Amorim’s system. Cunha has 14 goals and 4 assists but does come with some aggression when playing having been banned twice for violent conduct this season. This sort of attitude could be of help to United as they become very deflated when losing and some South American passion could be of great help to United in these scenarios.
Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty ImagesThe last two options are the most proven and will easily be on the move this summer but the destination is still unknown. Obviously these two are Viktor Gyökeres and Victor Osimhen both at an age of 26 and valued around £60-£70 million pounds. Gyökeres has 45 goals in 43 appearances with Osimhen hitting the back of the net 29 goals in 33 games. It’s very difficult to split these two amongst United fans in which one is the best fit with one proven in the Italian league but one who has worked with Amorim.
In my opinion, the best fit for United is to sell Højlund and to bring in one big star Gyökeres or Osimhen and then to bring in either Delap or Cunha. They can not rely on Højlund and Zirkzee again! To potentially have a world class striker and two backups to him with Obi making sporadic appearances that is the best option to improve this goal shy team.
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