Manchester United have added Joshua Zirkzee to their ranks but still face the same striker crisis as last season.
Joshua Zirkzee was United’s first signing of the summer after a £36million deal was agreed with Bologna.
But the 23-year-old Dutch striker has not yet played a part in United’s pre-season preparations after being granted an extended summer break after Euro 2024.
Rasmus Hojlund was set to lead the line for Erik ten Hag’s side, especially after claiming the No.9 shirt, but the Dane suffered an injury that will see him miss six weeks of action.
Anthony Martial has already left the club as a free agent, so Ten Hag was left with no other option than to experiment with Jadon Sancho as a false nine.
United now have the same issue they had at the end of last season. Zirkzee is the only fit striker but he is lacking fitness and sharpness ahead of this weekend’s Community Shield clash.
Man United remain interested in striker deal
With United once again short up front, another centre-forward might be necessary on top of Zirkzee.
According to Forbes, the Red Devils are still on the lookout for striker reinforcements and remain interested in Brentford’s Ivan Toney.
Manchester United’s stance on Toney has remained the same – interested, but he is not a priority with talks held over more important targets.
However, the report suggests that Brentford are “tempted” to do business at £40million with the London club fearful of losing Toney for free next summer when his contract expires.
It represents a relatively cheap deal for a proven Premier League striker who scored 20 goals in 2022-23 before his betting ban.
Brentford boss Thomas Frank recently admitted that the Bees are a “selling club” amid interest in Toney this summer.
He has also been linked with a move to Tottenham and Arsenal this summer, but a new £40million price tag could tempt United into a deal.
Manchester United’s transfer priorities
Injuries have highlighted United’s weakness in the centre-forward position, but it is still not the club’s priority.
A new centre-back is high up on the shopping list with talks ongoing for Matthijs de Ligt, and Fabrizio Romano issued a promising update on United’s double raid of Bayern Munich.
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Work is also ongoing for a new central midfielder, with United making an approach for Frenkie de Jong after talks for Manuel Ugarte stalled.
If – and it’s a big if – United can address their problems elsewhere, then the remainder of the budget will be spent on a new shiny forward.
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