Manchester United, a club of Wayne Rooney and Denis Law, of Ruud van Nistelrooy and Robin van Persie, of Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole.
Old Trafford has been the stage for so many elite centre-forwards to shine – so where’s it all gone wrong?
You can almost trace the post-Sir Alex Ferguson decline in terms of the centre-forward woes, with Van Persie still the last United player to hit 20 Premier League goals or more in a season, having fired the club to the title in 2012/13.
Hopes remain high regarding young Benjamin Sesko, but it would be wrong to place the burden solely on his shoulders this season.
Why Man Utd must avoid Hojlund repeat with Sesko
For three summers in succession, the Red Devils dipped into the transfer market to sign a new striker, with Sesko and Rasmus Hojlund arriving in 2025 and 2023, respectively, with Joshua Zirkzee sandwiched in between.
|
Sesko’s Top 5 Man Utd Goals |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Rank |
Opponent |
Goal |
|
1 |
Everton |
Counter-attack |
|
2 |
Fulham |
Stoppage-time winner |
|
3 |
West Ham (A) |
Near post flick |
|
4 |
Crystal Palace (H) |
Header |
|
5 |
Burnley (A) |
2nd goal |
Zirkzee, now set to join Fiorentina on loan, has never really kicked on from his debut goal against Fulham, hardly offering much in the way of competition to either Sesko or Hojlund.
The latter man, following his move to Napoli last summer, even admitted he “could have done with some help” in Manchester, having been parachuted in to be the club’s starting striker at the age of just 20.
Hojlund needed time to develop and progress, yet Anthony Martial’s injury woes in 2023/24 put paid to that, having been expected to deliver right from the off, without an experienced alternative in reserve.
There is a similar feeling regarding Sesko, and while United won’t want to stunt his development by splashing the cash on a new signing, his injury record suggests they might have to.
The 23-year-old has enjoyed a fine 2026, scoring ten times following the turn of the year, but he’s struggled to stay fit on a consistent basis, a worrying sign considering he’s yet to emerge as a regular starter.
Michael Carrick does have Bryan Mbeumo or Matheus Cunha to call upon as potential options through the middle, yet neither player is a genuine number nine.
Indeed, INEOS need to stop cutting corners and bring in an experienced, ready-made striker to take Sesko’s place, in the short-term at least.
How Man Utd could sign a “much better” striker than Sesko
Considering Zirkzee appears to be heading for an expected return to Serie A, it would be a surprise not to see a new face arrive, particularly with Chido Obi still a long way off from becoming a regular first-team asset.
Football FanCast has exclusively reported this month that Victor Osimhen is open to joining the club, yet the key sticking point is likely to be his hefty wage demands and bumper asking price.
A more youthful alternative, such as Freiburg’s Igor Matanovic, has also been suggested by Football FanCast sources, although the 23-year-old Croatian feels a little too similar to Zirkzee and co.
In the view of Ben Jacobs – speaking to the United Stand – it’s more likely that INEOS will go down the experienced route, with Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta a player they have “looked at” in recent times.
“And what I can tell you is that there was an offer made by Aston Villa for between £20 and £25 million and it was well, well below the valuation.
“So we’re talking about an inflated market, relatively high price, but let’s see what Manchester United decide to do because they’ve definitely looked at Mateta historically.”
Mateta appears destined to leave Selhurst Park, having even attempted to rip up his contract at the club, with just a year left to run on his existing deal.
Aston Villa have already seen an offer rejected for the ex-AC Milan target, with reports in January suggesting that Palace were looking for closer to £40m.
That still appears a snip for a player of his proven Premier League experience, and while the Frenchman may have his heart set on heading to Italy, United would be wise to present an attractive project themselves this summer.
Still only 29, Mateta would fit the mould as someone who would represent an upgrade on Sesko in the short-term, allowing the Slovenian the time to develop further and compete with him.
Indeed, Mateta is fresh from having scored 12 Premier League goals last term, one more than Sesko, while his record across the last three years now stands at 42 league goals for the Eagles.
For comparison, including his two seasons at RB Leipzig, Sesko has scored just 38 goals in that time, never going beyond 14 league goals in one of Europe’s big five leagues.
Mateta’s best return, meanwhile, came in 2023/24 as he scored 16 times for the south London side, emerging as a real talisman for the club thereafter.
He’s not necessarily the most eye-catching, glamorous striker, but the ex-Mainz man is certainly a handful, having run Premier League defences ragged time and again in recent years.
It is that level of experience and prowess that can certainly see him viewed as an upgrade on Sesko right now, with pundit Paul Merson suggesting last year that Mateta is a “much better player” than the United giant.
“But he’s a much better player than Sesko, much better. And he’s doing it in the Premier League week in week out. As a player you would love Mateta in your team.”
Merson’s view at the time was that the Red Devils wouldn’t sign the £40m man as he’s “not fashionable enough”, but with Zirkzee heading for the exit door, now looks like the ideal time to strike.
Mateta’s current number 14 shirt is still vacant at Old Trafford too…
