Manchester United could be forced to make a move for another attacker in the January transfer window as they await news on the extent of an injury to a key player.
During Manchester United’s 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur, Benjamin Šeško was forced off due to a knee injury. It seemed as though the injury was serious as he could not continue, resulting in Utd having to play the last few minutes of the game with ten men.
The striker only managed to make a 30-minute cameo, starting on the bench and being subbed on just before the hour mark. He was then unable to continue from the 88th minute due to a knee injury he suffered after a last-ditch tackle from Micky van de Ven prevented Šeško from scoring.
Utd are awaiting to see the extent of the injury, with hopes that it is not too serious. However, Šeško will miss both of Slovenia’s World Cup Qualifying matches during the international break. The severity of the injury is still unknown but Rúben Amorim expressed his concern in his post-match interview.
“I’m more concerned with an injury (than Šeško’s form), because it’s in the knee,” Amorim said. “And I don’t know, and we need Ben to be a better team.”
With a lack of depth in the striker position, the club could be forced to make a move for a forward in January. Amorim has occasionally deployed either Matheus Cunha or Bryan Mbuemo as the striker this season, but neither are naturals in this area of the pitch.
Utd opted to part ways with Rasmus Højlund in the summer, loaning him to Napoli with a mandatory buy clause. This has left the club short of strikers, with an inexperienced Šeško leading the line and an out of favour Joshua Zirkzee as his only real understudy, although Amorim prefers to play him behind the striker.
Šeško has not had the easiest of starts to his Utd career but he has shown signs of promise, scoring twice in the league. Despite his struggles of the last few weeks, Amorim has decided against giving Joshua Zirkzee a run in the team, which signals a move could be on the cards.
With the World Cup approaching, Zirkzee will be keen for game time to cement himself in the Netherlands squad for the upcoming tournament. This means that if Šeško’s injury is serious, Utd will most likely have to move for another attacker in the winter rather than waiting until next summer.
Could Zirkzee step up?
Utd will hope the injury to Šeško is not serious, as the Slovenian needs games to build confidence and momentum, but if he is unavailable for the upcoming matches, Amorim will be forced to rotate and find a solution within his current squad.
One option is Zirkzee, who has struggled to nail down a starting position since his move to Old Trafford from Bologna in the summer of 2024. A versatile player with attacking flair and quality, the Dutchman has shown glimpses of his quality over the last two seasons. He also seems to be a popular member of the squad but an injury kept him side lined for the start of this season and has resulted in a lack of game time.
This could be mainly due to the profile of Zirkzee, who has admitted himself that he is not ‘an out and out number 9′. Amorim clearly sees him as more of a ’10’ in his system but his versatility means he can be deployed in both areas. The signings of both Cunha and Mbuemo have added to the competition within the squad for the two attacking midfield positions, and Zirkzee has found himself towards the bottom of the pecking order.
This has led to rumours of a January exit, either to a fellow Premier League side or back to Italy in search of regular minutes and an upturn in form ahead of the World Cup in the summer. A loan move for Zirkzee has looked likely in recent weeks but the absence of Šeško could force a change of plans.
If Utd are to move for a striker in January, it is unclear whether the deal would be permanent or a loan deal until the summer. The project is eyeing young talented players who can develop and contribute to a successful future, but some have suggested Utd would be better bringing in a more experienced striker to add goals and support Šeško.
Will Utd sign a striker in January?
It has been reported that a striker was not originally on the agenda for Utd when looking ahead to the January transfer window, but depending on Šeško’s situation, their plans may have to change. According to Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, a serious injury to Šeško would cause Utd to make a move.
“They’re waiting to find out the full extent of the injury sustained by Šeško in that draw with Tottenham,” transfer insider Callum O’Connell explained.
“United have claimed they do not think it’s a serious injury, but he’s been sent for further tests to get a clear prognosis of how long he might be out for.
“If it is a long-term injury, it obviously does affect United’s transfer plans for January.
“Before this injury, it wasn’t a priority to bring in an attacker because they spent heavily in the summer to bring in attacking reinforcements.
“No decisions made from United just yet. They want to wait to see how serious this injury is first.”
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Due to the money the club spent in the summer on attackers, Utd may choose to explore the loan market or players who are available for cut prices. We’ve seen Utd bring in reinforcements in the winter window before, usually on short-term deals to help the squad in the remaining months of the season.
However, a clear message the club are sending is that they want players who will contribute in the present and in the future. It feels like they are trying to steer away from these types of deals, with a more long-term approach to their business.
Amorim has suggested the club could be active in the window if opportunities arise, but a new striker signing will most likely depend on the situation of Benjamin Šeško. After the international break, Utd have eight Premier League games before January so a solution must be found to put the club in a good position in the table, with a seemingly favourable run of fixtures ahead of them.
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