‘Man United to abandon striker pursuit after Amorim update’
Man United may now call off their striker search after Ruben Amorim provided an update on their summer transfer plans.
The Red Devils are looking to vastly improve on last season’s showing ahead of Amorim’s first full campaign in charge.
A 15th place finish, worsened by their defeat to fellow Premier League side Tottenham in the Europa League final, left United feeling battered and bruised.
Looking on to the upcoming season, Old Trafford will be lifted by the arrival of new stars.
Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo and Wolves’ Matheus Cunha have joined United for a total exceeding £120million.
The pair were involved in 48 goals in the 2024-25 Premier League and their attacking prowess will be music to the ears of the Portuguese manager.
Goals continue to be an issue in the red half of Manchester with the side scoring the fifth lowest goals in the league last season.
The ex-Sporting CP boss was reportedly on the hunt for a new striker, but that may not be the case.
Amorim happy with Man United squad
Speaking to the media ahead of the Premier League Summer Series in the USA, the Portuguese commented on United’s transfer situation.
As per the Daily Mail’s report (25 July), the manager “insisted that he has options in attack and would be happy going into the season with the squad he has now.”
He also eluded to new additions Mbeumo and Cunha’s versatility, stating: “With Bryan [Mbeumo] and Matheus [Cunha], we are clearly a better team.
“They can play as a striker. I’m really pleased because they proved that with the goals they have.”
New role for Cunha and Mbeumo
Amorim’s comments suggest the Red Devils shall not explore the transfer market for a new striker any further, having missed out on the likes of Liam Delap and Hugo Ekitike already.
Highlighting that both the Brazilian and the Cameroonian can play through the middle, United should see more goals next season, but fans may be concerned if no recognised number nine arrives.
Rasmus Hojlund struggled last time out, scoring just four times in 32 appearances in the Premier League.
Similarly, Joshua Zirkzee, who was brought in from Bologna to slot in as the go-to striker, scored three times in the league, following a position change to support the main number nine.
| Man United Premier League 2024-25 goal-scorers | Goals |
| Bruno Fernandes | 8 |
| Amad Diallo | 8 |
| Alejandro Garnacho | 6 |
| Rasmus Hojlund | 4 |
| Joshua Zirkzee | 3 |
| Lisandro Martinez | 2 |
| Matthijs de Ligt | 2 |
| Casemiro | 1 |
| Christian Eriksen | 1 |
| Harry Maguire | 1 |
| Manuel Ugarte | 1 |
| Mason Mount | 1 |
The manager’s lack of faith in the Dane and Dutchman saw the introduction of 17-year-old Chido Obi-Martin on occasion, who offered far more firepower than the aforementioned.
With Marcus Rashford joining Barcelona on a season-long loan, onus will be on United’s new signings to step up and assume goal-scoring duties for the team.
It certainly doesn’t bode well that captain Bruno Fernandes ended the 2024-25 Premier League campaign as their joint top scorer (eight), given he plays a deeper role.
This is a statistic that has to change and Amorim will be hoping for frequent Mbeumo-Cunha scoring combinations throughout their new domestic campaign.