Bryan Mbeumo transfer: Do Manchester United still need to sign a striker or can Rasmus Hojlund flourish?

One of Manchester United's cardinal priorities this summertime was a hunt for goals.

Last play was United's worst successful the Premier League era, and a cardinal crushed was the paltry 44 goals they scored - the mean of 1.15 per crippled their lowest successful a top-flight play since 1973-74.

Bryan Mbeumo's expected £65m move volition instrumentality their guaranteed spending connected attacking endowment this summertime to £127.5m, pursuing the signing of Matheus Cunha from Wolves.

But with some players expected to play successful fig 10 positions, bash the nine request a caller cardinal striker, oregon volition Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee payment from added firepower astir them?

Chris Sutton, who won the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers, said: "United's onslaught is intelligibly an country they request to improve. That's wherefore they person gone for Mbeumo, due to the fact that I deliberation helium is idiosyncratic they consciousness they tin spot successful each areas, successful possession and retired of it, with the work-rate and vigor - and goals too.

"Mbeumo is perfectly not cheap, but that is the going complaint for a proven Premier League player.

"They privation to bring successful signings who are not improvement players but players who person been determination and done it. Mbeumo is 1 of those. Cunha too.

"The question is bash United inactive request different fig nine? Because Rasmus Hojlund did not people capable past season."

By communal consent, erstwhile United's troublesome Premier League run came to an extremity successful May, the cardinal failing that had to beryllium addressed was their deficiency of goals.

Most assumed that meant a caller fig 9 would beryllium signed.

That United made a large play for Liam Delap - disposable for £30m from Ipswich - earlier helium signed for Chelsea indicated cardinal figures astatine Old Trafford felt the same.

Yet now, much than £120m aboriginal and with 2 caller additions much astatine location down a main guardant alternatively than arsenic one, questions are being asked astir whether they volition bring successful a fig 9 oregon if - contempt immense reservations - they instrumentality with Hojlund.

The reasoning for the second would beryllium simple.

In bid to money much costly recruitment, they request to make much concern and - speech from sell-on clauses for Anthony Elanga and Alvaro Carreras - they person not managed it.

So a large connection for Aston Villa's England planetary Ollie Watkins is improbable and, of the players disposable for nothing, the injury-hit Dominic Calvert-Lewin and seasoned Jamie Vardy correspond important risk.

Though galore thought they overpaid astatine the time, the recruitment squad down past manager Erik 10 Hag felt it was worthy signing disconnected a £72m interest to bring successful Hojlund from Italian nine Atalanta.

At the time, Ten Hag said Hojlund had "huge potential" but helium had "to beryllium it". So far, helium has not done so.

He scored conscionable 4 league goals each season, with understudy Zirkzee lone managing three.

It has to beryllium said, Hojlund's goals came from chances worthy a measly 5.2 expected goals, showing the deficiency of opportunities helium was being provided with - oregon making for himself.

Sutton said: "Have United been providing him with the chances and the opportunities? The reply to that is no.

"But also, you person to see whether helium has done good enough. Has helium ever been a prolific goalscorer? That would beryllium the nagging uncertainty and is thing I person debated with United fans.

"It is not to accidental helium doesn't person clip connected his side, and his cognition is bully too."

But successful a summertime during which Carreras joined Real Madrid - fulfilling the committedness galore successful the club's academy felt helium had earlier they were overruled by Ten Hag and others who believed the full-back was not speedy capable to excel astatine the highest level - are they acceptable to springiness up connected Hojlund conscionable yet?

The 22-year-old's declaration does not expire until 2028. If they sold now, United wouldn't person adjacent to the sum they paid for him.

There are galore unanswered questions astatine Old Trafford arsenic the Premier League opener against Arsenal approaches.

Whether they should motion different fig 9 oregon instrumentality with Hojlund and anticipation helium flourishes alongside the likes of Cunha and Mbeumo is 1 of the astir significant.

Whatever the determination connected United's striker dilemma, determination tin beryllium small statement the summation of Mbeumo - alongside Cunha - strengthens their firepower.

Only Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, Newcastle's Alexander Isak and Manchester City's Erling Haaland scored much than his 20 Premier League goals past season.

It was, though, the archetypal clip helium has reached treble figures for a top-flight club, and his expected goals (xG) statistic of 12.3 - which helium outperformed by 7.7 goals - is thing that would beryllium hard to repeat.

In the past 5 Premier League seasons, conscionable 14 players person overperformed their xG by 5 goals oregon more.

Sutton said: "He has done good astatine Brentford but playing for Manchester United is precise different. With respect to Brentford, determination is nary large anticipation there. At United, helium volition beryllium expected to execute consecutive away.

"He has experience, helium is simply a bully finisher and his versatility is simply a large affirmative - helium tin play arsenic a cardinal striker arsenic good arsenic connected the wing, cutting wrong disconnected the close connected to his near foot.

"But helium has had 1 precise bully play wherever his numbers were precise good, truthful the question is whether helium tin repetition that."

The Cameroon planetary is not being bought conscionable for his goals, though.

Mbeumo prefers to play connected the close down a striker - with Cunha expected to diagnostic connected the near - but besides has the versatility to play centrally, offering different solution to the striker problem.

He topped the database for touches per 90 minutes for players who scored much than 15 goals past play - showing his engagement successful play - and ranks arsenic 1 of the champion shot carriers successful the league, consistently with an effectual extremity product.

He was 17th connected the database of apical assisters - with 7 - but successful expected assists helium led the mode successful the Premier League with 9.3 xA.

Alongside Cunha's creativity, that tin lone beryllium bully quality for whoever is chosen to play the cardinal striker role.

"Consistency successful those guardant positions is what United are striving for, due to the fact that they person not had it with, say, Alejandro Garnacho oregon Antony," said Sutton.

"They are possibly reasoning an older, much experienced player, who is much reliable, is what they need. That's Mbeumo - helium fits into Ruben Amorim's strategy and helium fits the measure arsenic proven Premier League prime too.

"Amorim wants a harmonious campy arsenic good arsenic a accordant performer, not idiosyncratic who is simply a 3/10 1 week and a 9/10 the next.

"That's what Manchester United person truly been lacking and the numbers Mbeumo provided could beryllium truly important. That is the portion of the jigsaw they person got to truly lick if they privation to beryllium challenging astatine the apical extremity of the table."