Manchester United have £15m transfer solution to “impossible” problem

Manchester United could have a £15 million transfer solution to what Gary Neville described as an “impossible” problem at Old Trafford.

The Reds concluded their 2023/24 Premier League campaign with an eighth-placed finish, their worst result since the competition’s inception in 1992.

Erik ten Hag’s side were simply underwhelming for large spells and there are several reasons behind this fall-off from their third-place finish last term.

One of those has been the struggles up front. Rasmus Højlund has been the only fit centre-forward for most of the season, and even he has had a few injury problems throughout the campaign.

Højlund has managed to bag 16 goals during his debut campaign at Old Trafford, but he has also faced major difficulties across the season, particularly in terms of service.

In The Overlap newsletter, Gary Neville wrote: “Watching Hojlund, I felt sorry for him. You talk about the difficulty United have had putting out a consistent back four this season. But it’s the same up front.

“Hojlund doesn’t know what the pattern of play is, whether the wide player is going to go to the line or come inside. You can see he’s making good runs all the time and then the wide man will come back inside and there will be a 15-pass sequence.

“Another time, he’ll drop in and try to join in with that, and that will inevitably be the time the wide man decides to get to the line and cross it. Until United can establish a consistent pattern of play, being centre forward in that team will be an impossible job.”

While Neville is correct, there is also the issue that Højlund has been too heavily relied upon and needs another centre-forward to work alongside and hopefully learn from.

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INEOS are aiming to address many positions at United in the summer transfer window but the striker position remains a confusing one.

Do they spend big despite Højlund’s clear talent, or do they look for a bargain who could benefit the Dane without becoming the outright number one option?

Fabrizio Romano’s latest report could be something that United should be considering. The Italian journalist has reiterated his information on Stuttgart striker Serhou Guirassy.

It has been stated that Guirassy has a £15 million release clause that will become active once again this summer. Romano added that Premier League clubs have already shown interest.

United were linked to the Bundesliga striker in the January window but were unable to do any business in the mid-season transfer market.

He scored 30 goals in as many games this term and seems like a great option to support Højlund going forward while also allowing United to focus their funds elsewhere in the squad.