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Manchester United are in need of an elite striker after struggling to find the back of the net with any real consistency this season. As seen from the Premier League table, the Red Devils have scored the fewest goals among the top 11 sides.
As manager Erik ten Hag recently revealed, the plan was to try and sign Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur and once that did not work out, the club opted to bring in the highly-rated Rasmus Hojlund.
Only 20 when he first arrived, the Dane’s debut season was always supposed to be a challenging one considering his age and the fact that he was in the Serie A for only one season.
The Dutchman wanted the Denmark international to play alongside an experienced professional however, the club failed to bring in someone both in January and last summer.
Striker needed
That meant the former Atalanta starlet was put under enormous pressure to deliver and while he has scored 14 goals and is the second top-scorer for the club, United needed a lot more from their centre forward.
Inconsistency was to be expected but the 20-time English league champions can ill afford another poor goalscoring campaign next term especially with Anthony Martial set to leave while Marcus Rashford’s future is clouded in uncertainty.
New co-owners INEOS have been strong advocates for recruiting young, Premier League-proven players and Brentford hitman Ivan Toney fit the bill and rumour mills have constantly linked the England international with a move to The Theatre of Dreams.
The current manager also is an admirer of the 28-year-old and he would be someone who could hit the ground running as he is well-versed with the demands of English football as seen from his 21 goals last season.
But if Football Transfers are to be believed, Sir Jim Ratcliffe is hesitant to bring in Toney due to his unsuitability to what INEOS are trying to build and United have exited the race, leaving West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur to fight it out for the Bees striker.
United exit Toney race
“West Ham and Tottenham are currently frontrunners in the race to secure the signature of Brentford striker Ivan Toney, Football Transfers can reveal.
“We have learned that Manchester United are exploring alternative options due to concerns from Ineos regarding Toney’s suitability for the club, this is in despite of manager Erik Ten Hag being a big fan of the England International.”
Toney is expected to cost in the vicinity of £50 million and with United grappling with PSR concerns, the club could be forced to look at alternative options.
Ideally, the three-time European champions need a readymade option and not a young, promising gem so that Hojlund can play more freely and without pressure while learning the ropes from the established star.
Whether the club can afford to bring in a low-cost option after the season they just had remains to be seen. INEOS need to be smart with their recruitment and that is why a new-look backroom team is being assembled. Hopefully, the fans are not disappointed with the recruitment once the summer window ends.
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