Fabrizio Romano reveals Manchester United’s 2023 decision that’s back to bite them

Fabrizio Romano has revealed a 2023 transfer decision that is coming back to bite Manchester United under Erik ten Hag this season.

Manchester United have been struggling to score goals so far this season, with last season’s top scorer, Rasmus Højlund, just returning from injury.

It is a theme that has plagued the club across the last ten seasons, with the side having no consistent goalscorer for more than one campaign.

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Those such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Marcus Rashford have found short-term success, with all those players hitting around 25 goals in a season on one occasion, but the lack of a goalscorer over multiple seasons has harmed the side.

In 2023, the club brought in Højlund with the aim of moulding the young Danish striker into an elite frontman, but they did not bring in a second, more experienced forward.

However, according to Fabrizio Romano, United turned down the chance to sign Ollie Watkins during the same summer as they wanted to focus their efforts on Højlund.

“I’ve also been asked about a story involving United and Ollie Watkins in 2023, as it’s been claimed that they decided not to sign the Aston Villa striker, focusing instead on Ramus Hojlund,” Romano told caughtoffside.

“My information is that they had multiple options on the table, not only Watkins, but they consider Højlund a huge talent for the future with big potential, so their number one choice in 2023 was always Højlund.

“Was it the right decision? Personally, I would not criticise Højlund – he needs time, but he’s talented and a very good player, though it’s probably true that an experienced striker next to him would have helped United.”

Although it seems United went with Højlund over any other option because they only wanted to sign one player in the position, it may have been better to rearrange their funds and sign two strikers in 2023.

Watkins went on to have a fantastic season with Aston Villa, as they claimed a spot in the Champions League for the first time in over 40 years. The English striker scored 27 goals for his club and won the Playmaker of the Season award in the Premier League, with 13 assists.

Beyond this, he also scored an incredibly important goal for England during the 2024 European Championship semi-finals against the Netherlands, making it 2-1 in the 90th minute.

United signed Joshua Zirkzee as another young striker this summer, but he has just one goal this season. United’s lack of an experienced forward in their prime, such as Watkins, has come back to bite them and may cost Ten Hag his job.

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