Man Utd narrowed striker search to two names, but the ideal option is another player entirely

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Manchester United’s striker search is taking shape after signing Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, and it has all come down to two names.

Even Rasmus Hojlund’s small step forward vs West Ham is not fooling anybody, and every Man Utd fan knows going into the 2025/26 season without a new striker would be a huge risk.

Ruben Amorim praised the qualities of Premier League-proven players, so one player is Ollie Watkins.

Then, Benjamin Sesko is a name the club have tracked for years, and Christopher Vivell is a huge fan, so he’s the other name.

The only thing is that neither is better than a third name who would cost less than both, and ticks Amorim’s wish for his new signings.

Ollie Watkins vs Benjamin Sesko for Man Utd’s striker signing

The Athletic reported that Man Utd have narrowed down their striker search to Watkins and Sesko, with the club believing a deal for Watkins can be done for around £40-45m, while Sesko would cost about £69-78m.

The two represent polar opposite profiles of players in terms of age and playing style, so it’s a mild concern that the search has been narrowed down to these two.

It points to a lack of direction tactically, as well as financially, since a club in United’s financial condition can’t afford to have two options that have a cost difference of nearly £30m.

Still, the positive side is that United are ‘very convinced’ they will sign a striker, so the debate will now rage on whether they should sign Watkins or Mateta.

Watkins provides proven Premier League experience and would need no time to adjust. United know what he is and what he can do.

However, he turns 30 in December, and his game, which relies on running the channels and pressing high, can decline quickly, which could render him ineffective on an athletic team.

Sesko’s case, on the other hand, is paying for potential. If it pans out, United will have a £150m striker in the next two years who will compete with Erling Haaland.

If he doesn’t, he will effectively be Rasmus Hojlund 2.0. The risk is much higher, but so is the reward.

Therefore, it can be said that the ideal option is neither Watkins nor Sesko. It’s a third name that provides the best of both of these worlds.

Jean Philippe-Mateta should be Man Utd’s first-choice target

The issue with Watkins is his price relative to age and his playing style, which might cause his output to take a hit soon. Enter Jean Philippe-Mateta, who turns 28 in June, and doesn’t rely on pace and explosiveness to score.

Like Watkins, Mateta is Premier League-proven. In fact, Mateta has exceeded his xG in the last two PL seasons while scoring 30 goals.

Watkins has scored 35 in a much stronger team, while undershooting his xG. His assist numbers are much higher, but that’s mainly down to playing with much better players, while Crystal Palace were flirting with relegation before Oliver Glasner arrived.

That’s Mateta’s case winning over Watkins’, which brings Sesko into the picture.

For starters, Mateta’s asking price is less than half of Sesko’s, and much lower than Villa’s initial price tag for Watkins. The case for Mateta over Sesko has already been argued before.

The Palace forward brings the best of both worlds – Watkins’ Premier League pedigree for less than half of Sesko’s price, all the while being younger than Watkins and having a game that will almost assuredly age better.

He’s the perfect bridge between the present and the exciting crop of strikers United already have.