Mbeumo 'proven Quality' - But Man Utd Still Have Striker Dilemma

One of Manchester United's cardinal priorities this summertime was a hunt for goals.

Last play was United's worst successful nan Premier League era, and a cardinal logic was nan paltry 44 goals they scored - nan mean of 1.15 per crippled their lowest successful a top-flight play since 1973-74.

Bryan Mbeumo's expected £65m move will return their guaranteed spending connected attacking talent this summertime to £127.5m, pursuing nan signing of Matheus Cunha from Wolves.

But pinch some players expected to play successful number 10 positions, do nan nine request a caller cardinal striker, aliases will Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee use from added firepower astir them?

Chris Sutton, who won nan Premier League pinch Blackburn Rovers, said: "United's onslaught is intelligibly an area they request to improve. That's why they person gone for Mbeumo, because I deliberation he is personification they consciousness they tin spot successful each areas, successful possession and retired of it, pinch nan work-rate and power - and goals too.

"Mbeumo is perfectly not cheap, but that is nan going complaint for a proven Premier League player.

"They want to bring successful signings who are not improvement players but players who person been location and done it. Mbeumo is 1 of those. Cunha too.

"The mobility is do United still request different number nine? Because Rasmus Hojlund did not people capable past season."

By communal consent, erstwhile United's troublesome Premier League run came to an extremity successful May, nan cardinal failing that had to beryllium addressed was their deficiency of goals.

Most assumed that meant a caller number 9 would beryllium signed.

That United made a large play for Liam Delap - disposable for £30m from Ipswich - earlier he signed for Chelsea indicated cardinal figures astatine Old Trafford felt nan same.

Yet now, much than £120m later and pinch 2 caller additions much astatine location down a main guardant alternatively than arsenic one, questions are being asked astir whether they will bring successful a number 9 aliases if - contempt immense reservations - they instrumentality pinch Hojlund.

The reasoning for nan second would beryllium simple.

In bid to money much costly recruitment, they request to make much finance and - speech from sell-on clauses for Anthony Elanga and Alvaro Carreras - they person not managed it.

So a large connection for Aston Villa's England world Ollie Watkins is improbable and, of nan players disposable for nothing, nan injury-hit Dominic Calvert-Lewin and seasoned Jamie Vardy correspond important risk.

Though galore thought they overpaid astatine nan time, nan recruitment squad down past head Erik 10 Hag felt it was worthy signing disconnected a £72m interest to bring successful Hojlund from Italian nine Atalanta.

At nan time, Ten Hag said Hojlund had "huge potential" but he had "to beryllium it". So far, he has not done so.

He scored conscionable 4 convention goals each season, pinch understudy Zirkzee only managing three.

It has to beryllium said, Hojlund's goals came from chances worthy a measly 5.2 expected goals, showing nan deficiency of opportunities he was being provided pinch - aliases making for himself.

Sutton said: "Have United been providing him pinch nan chances and nan opportunities? The reply to that is no.

"But also, you person to see whether he has done good enough. Has he ever been a prolific goalscorer? That would beryllium nan nagging uncertainty and is thing I person debated pinch United fans.

"It is not to opportunity he doesn't person clip connected his side, and his cognition is bully too."

But successful a summertime during which Carreras joined Real Madrid - fulfilling nan committedness galore successful nan club's academy felt he had earlier they were overruled by Ten Hag and others who believed nan full-back was not speedy capable to excel astatine nan highest level - are they fresh to springiness up connected Hojlund conscionable yet?

The 22-year-old's statement does not expire until 2028. If they sold now, United wouldn't person adjacent to nan sum they paid for him.

There are galore unanswered questions astatine Old Trafford arsenic nan Premier League opener against Arsenal approaches.

Whether they should motion different number 9 aliases instrumentality pinch Hojlund and dream he flourishes alongside nan likes of Cunha and Mbeumo is 1 of nan astir significant.

Whatever nan determination connected United's striker dilemma, location tin beryllium small statement nan summation of Mbeumo - alongside Cunha - strengthens their firepower.

Only Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, Newcastle's Alexander Isak and Manchester City's Erling Haaland scored much than his 20 Premier League goals past season.

It was, though, nan first clip he has reached double figures for a top-flight club, and his expected goals (xG) statistic of 12.3 - which he outperformed by 7.7 goals - is thing that would beryllium difficult to repeat.

In nan past 5 Premier League seasons, conscionable 14 players person overperformed their xG by 5 goals aliases more.

Sutton said: "He has done good astatine Brentford but playing for Manchester United is very different. With respect to Brentford, location is nary awesome anticipation there. At United, he will beryllium expected to execute consecutive away.

"He has experience, he is simply a bully finisher and his versatility is simply a large affirmative - he tin play arsenic a cardinal striker arsenic good arsenic connected nan wing, cutting wrong disconnected nan correct connected to his near foot.

"But he has had 1 very bully play wherever his numbers were very good, truthful nan mobility is whether he tin repetition that."

The Cameroon world is not being bought conscionable for his goals, though.

Mbeumo prefers to play connected nan correct down a striker - pinch Cunha expected to characteristic connected nan near - but besides has nan versatility to play centrally, offering different solution to nan striker problem.

He topped nan database for touches per 90 minutes for players who scored much than 15 goals past play - showing his engagement successful play - and ranks arsenic 1 of nan champion shot carriers successful nan league, consistently pinch an effective extremity product.

He was 17th connected nan database of apical assisters - pinch 7 - but successful expected assists he led nan measurement successful nan Premier League pinch 9.3 xA.

Alongside Cunha's creativity, that tin only beryllium bully news for whoever is chosen to play nan cardinal striker role.

"Consistency successful those guardant positions is what United are striving for, because they person not had it with, say, Alejandro Garnacho aliases Antony," said Sutton.

"They are possibly reasoning an older, much knowledgeable player, who is much reliable, is what they need. That's Mbeumo - he fits into Ruben Amorim's strategy and he fits nan measure arsenic proven Premier League value too.

"Amorim wants a harmonious campy arsenic good arsenic a accordant performer, not personification who is simply a 3/10 1 week and a 9/10 nan next.

"That's what Manchester United person really been lacking and nan numbers Mbeumo provided could beryllium really important. That is nan portion of nan jigsaw they person sewage to really lick if they want to beryllium challenging astatine nan apical extremity of nan table."