Erik ten Hag decided against £72 million Man United signing despite meetings in London

Erik ten Hag was desperate for a striker last summer and Manchester United will be looking again to strengthen their frontline in the coming months.

The Reds only had Anthony Martial as a recognised no.9 following the end of Wout Weghorst’s loan move. Harry Kane was Ten Hag’s number-one choice to fill that gap.

However, the club decided against making a move for the striker, who eventually signed for Bayern Munich – a decision that disappointed the Dutchman and players like Casemiro.

Ultimately, Rasmus Højlund was signed, and he scored 16 goals during his debut campaign at Old Trafford.

It was a respectable return for the young striker, who was relied on too much during the season. Yet, he was not the only talented no.9 the club were monitoring last summer.

Randal Kolo Muani was available for transfer from Eintracht Frankfurt and seemed to be an exciting option after scoring 23 goals and registering 17 assists for the German side in 2022/23.

However, according to The Athletic, Ten Hag met the French forward in London but decided he was not the right fit for his team.

Kolo Muani ended up moving to Paris Saint Germain in September 2023 for £72.7million and has scored nine goals in 40 games for the Ligue 1 outfit.

It appears that opting for Højlund was the right call for the club, with the Danish striker showing major signs of becoming a top-level striker.

However, the club are once again looking for a striker to support the 21-year-old this summer, with players like Ivan Toney on the list.