Manchester United have been urged to sign a striker with 36 goal involvements this season, as a verdict on Liam Delap’s potential signing under Rúben Amorim is given.
Manchester United’s lack of a consistent goal scorer remains a major concern as they prepare for another crucial summer.
Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes have been the only steady sources of goals in recent seasons, with Rashford scoring 30 times during the 2022/23 campaign. However, with Rashford expected to depart following his loan at Aston Villa and Fernandes now playing a deeper role under Rúben Amorim, doubts about United’s attacking strength have only grown.
Rasmus Højlund has shown flashes of potential but still seems too inexperienced to lead the line on a regular basis. Meanwhile, Joshua Zirkzee appears more comfortable playing off a central striker than operating as the main No. 9 himself.
With the transfer window approaching, United are actively searching for reinforcements, with the club having been linked to many names such as Liam Delap, Victor Osimhen, and Benjamin Šeško in the last month.
United urged to sign David over Osimhen
United’s summer spending is set to be hampered due to a tight budget and uncertainty surrounding whether they will be playing Champions League football next summer.
While many fans have been calling for the club to bring in Osimhen as a proven goalscorer, the funds associated with his transfer have deterred United from engaging in talks for the player. With this in mind, former United defender Paul Parker has urged the club to consider Lille’s Jonathan David instead.
David has had a spectacular season with the French side, scoring 25 goals and providing 11 assists in 46 appearances. He will be a free agent once his contract expires at the end of June, and Parker has stated that he may be a better transfer target than Osimhen for the club.
“Osimhen will, of course, be an upgrade over any forward at Man United. I still don’t know how he ended up at Galatasaray from what he’d done at Napoli,” Parker started.
“Is he really going to be the one? I don’t know. United can’t do anything until they sell and let some players go. Lindelof and Jonny Evans, their contracts are expiring, but I’m not sure their departure opens up a lot of room, considering what they’re earning.
“Jonathan David could be available for free. His stats are better than Osimhen’s, but it’s not all about stats. Stats are great, and they can give you a picture, but you need to see what the player can do and what he adds.
“Osimhen is going to cost a lot of money, and David can be picked up for free. David will ask for a bigger contract as he’s on a free. So that’s something the club has to consider.”
Parker labels Delap as United’s ideal signing
By many accounts, United have Delap as their top priority striker signing this summer, with the Ipswich Town forward available for £30 million following his club’s relegation from the Premier League.
Continuing, Parker concurs with this notion, stating that he feels Delap is the best signing United could make, as the 22-year-old is a star who could develop into a player surpassing Osimhen’s abilities.
“You still look at Delap, who can be moulded, who’s got an appetite and wants to prove himself. If you’re the manager of Man Utd, surely you want what you were doing at Sporting Lisbon – you want to mould players into your style of play.
“You have to give Delap the opportunity to turn down Man United and see if he’s brave enough to do that. A club where he could really go on and make his name.
“I would go for Delap instead of getting Victor Osimhen, whose game is about the ball in front of him, rather than his back to goal. Yeah, he’s athletic, but so is Delap, and he keeps going. It makes more sense for me.”
Parker was speaking to MyBettingSites.
Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is streamed live every Thursday at 12:30 pm (GMT) on the United View YouTube channel.