Manchester United have landed in the USA ahead of their three-match pre-season tour against Premier League opposition but Ruben Amorim is keeping one eye on the transfer market
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim led from the front when the squad arrived at their Chicago hotel to begin their pre-season tour. United boss Amorim was one of the first off the team bus when it pulled up at the plush Waldorf Astoria hotel, only pausing to high-five members of security staff as he made his way in.
But leading from the front on the pitch is continuing to prove problematic for Amorim, whose summer search for a striker to solve United’s goalscoring crisis has so far drawn a blank. A meagre haul of 44 goals in the Premier League last season, as United finished 15th, their worst placing for 51 years, should have made recruiting a striker their priority in the summer window.
But with 24 days until their opening fixture of the new season, at home to Arsenal, United are still grubbing around for a new No.9 to lead their line, after seeing a host of targets choose other clubs. Liam Delap joined Chelsea from Ipswich, while Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike are closing in on moves to Arsenal and Liverpool respectively.
New signings Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo may have scored 15 and 20 goals respectively in the Premier League last season, more than United duo Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee. But those impressive numbers from Cunha and Mbeumo do not negate the need for United to recruit a prolific striker capable of scoring 20-plus goals a season on a consistent basis.
The last United player to score more than 20 Premier League goals in a season was Robin van Persie, who led the club to their last league title under Sir Alex Ferguson in 2012-13. But finding the back of the net remains an issue for United, as evidenced by the way they toiled in Saturday’s first pre-season encounter with Leeds in Stockholm, which ended goalless.
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United retain an interest in Paris Saint-Germain striker Randal Kolo Muani, who was on their radar two years ago, before they eventually paid £72million – way over his true market value – for Hojlund. A swap deal involving winger Alejandro Garnacho – left out of the US tour squad after asking to leave – and Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson, both valued around £40m, is another option.
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Jackson has been pushed down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge following the arrival of Delap from Ipswich and Joao Pedro from Brighton. Three of United’s league games in September have been moved for TV, with the derby against Manchester City switched to September 14 at 4:30pm.
The following weekend, United’s visit to Chelsea will still be played on September 20, but has been pushed back to 5.30pm for TV. United’s trip to Brentford – and new signing Mbeumo’s first return to his former club – will kick off at 12.30pm on September 27.
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