As the new year approaches, those Manchester United There is no doubt that people will want to forget 2024 as quickly as possible and overall it has been a miserable 12 months at Old Trafford.

The notable high point came at Wembley in May, however that shock FA Cup final win was quickly forgotten as the club struggled before and after, with manager Eric Ten ·Hag left the team just a few months after lifting the trophy.

new boss Ruben Amorim Coming with bold new ideas and a charming personality, it’s largely the same story for a team still struggling despite recent results. 13th in the Premier League standings.

Just around a month into the Portuguese’s tenure, the Red Devils have reached their lowest point in recent times following Sunday’s 3-0 defeat at home to Bournemouth, a result that laid bare the current plight of the three-time European champions.

They have conceded seven goals in all competitions in their last two games, which may indicate worrying issues in defence, although the attacking unit remains “Main questions” – as journalist Liam Canning puts it.

Manchester United’s attacking woes

That a meek capitulation at home at Old Trafford no longer sent shockwaves throughout the game was saying a lot. Indeed, defeats like the Cherries’ have become the norm over the past 18 months or so.

This season alone, the Red Devils have lost 3-0 at the Theater of Dreams three times and were eliminated against Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, marking the beginning of the end for Ten Hagues.

Again, the defense will bear much of the blame for these dismal results, but the lack of goals has become a real concern of late. In fact, Manchester United only scored 21 league goals So far, they are level with the likes of Leicester City and even behind relegation team Wolves (27).

These issues were even apparent over the weekend, with hosts registering 23 shots in total The final xG is 2.28. Bournemouth, meanwhile, took just 10 shots and finished with an expected goals ratio of just 1.63, according to Sofascore.

As Amorim laments After losing to Tottenham In the Carabao Cup, his side were simply not “clinical” enough and the lack of a reliable number nine remains a major issue.

In fact, although young Rasmus Hoylund has scored Scored 7 goals in 20 games So far in the 2024/24 season, he has made just two appearances in 12 league games.

As for summer signing Joshua Zirkzee, the Dutchman had an even worse time, scoring just a handful of goals 25 appearances, 4 appearances Since his arrival from Bologna.

The latter’s return in particular is not good enough and requires a quick upgrade to address Old Trafford’s long-standing problem position.

Manchester United are looking for a striker

Back at Sporting Lisbon, Amorim’s success has been built on the quality of his top goalscorer Victor Chokeres Scored 66 goals in just 68 games The time they spent together in Lisbon.

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Due to this fruitful partnership, calls are strong for the pair to reunite in Manchester, although according to recent reports United are likely to look elsewhere for their dream first signing of the Amorim era.

indeed, Already claimed The Red Devils are among the clubs keen to sign Nigerian stars. Victor OsimhenThe 26-year-old is currently on loan at Galatasaray from his parent club Napoli.

The former Chelsea target is reportedly worth around £62million and could make a belated move to the Premier League following his move to Stamford Bridge The whole summer collapsedthe striker’s arrest could be just what United are craving to end their goalscoring woes.

Why Osimhen would be Manchester United’s dream signing

The former Lille man may now be playing in Turkey outside of Europe’s top five leagues, but it’s hard to ignore his goalscoring prowess now that he’s won the title. 12 goals in just 15 games While he was in Istanbul.

That result ensures he has scored more goals so far in the 2024/25 season than Zirkzee and Hoylund combined, with the young duo scoring just 11 goals combined in all competitions .

Osimhen enjoyed a prolific spell at Napoli, with the in-demand player Scored 76 goals in just 133 games For Serie A teams. The £62million player has scored a total of 126 goals in 238 senior games during his career.

With that in mind, Hoylund’s score was just 50 advanced goals In his career to date, Zirkzee has an even worse record, Only entered 40 times (Excluding his performance with Bayern Munich’s second team).

The difference in quality between Zirkzee and Osimhen is indeed clear, as evidenced by their respective statistics in Italy’s top flight last season, with Zirkzee offering the greater creative influence, but Osimhen being the more clinical. Amorim needs to ensure the deal is completed urgently.

There will no doubt be concerns about the Napoli player’s ability to make the transition to the Premier League, although his similarities to Ibrahimovic should ease any concerns as the comparison is driven by His former Charleroi coach Felice Mazur:

While Ibrahimovic’s time at Old Trafford was fleeting, the veteran certainly left his mark under Jose Mourinho as he finished the 2016/17 season time 28 goals scored Made 46 appearances.

As that short and sweet experience proved, this type of player can score from anywhere without needing a period of adjustment, and United and Amorim will need to repeat the situation that captured Osimhen.

Since the days before Ibrahimovic and Robin van Persie, the Red Devils have been looking for a truly world-class batsman to lead the team. Now it’s time to go out and buy one.

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