The one player Manchester United MUST sign to fight for the top four, writes DANNY MURPHY

The one player Manchester United MUST sign to fight for the top four, writes DANNY MURPHY

Joshua Zirkzee has made a dream start at Manchester United and looks a wonderful talent. But sorry to disappoint United fans, he is not going to be the answer to their goalscoring problems.

The Dutchman is strong and skilful, but not a proper centre forward. He likes to come to the ball and is more comfortable as a No 10 or wide. His scoring record at Bologna was a goal every four games — not great.

Unless United go for a genuine No 9 like Ivan Toney in the last couple of weeks of the transfer window, I think you can discount their top four prospects. Rasmus Hojlund is not ready either to be that 20-goals-a-season Man United need in the Premier League.

I could tell from watching the 1-0 win against Fulham on Friday night that United are still a work in progress.

They finished eighth last season, 31 points behind City, and for all the talk about defensive injuries, it is the other end of the pitch that is the bigger issue. Nobody in the top half of the Premier League table scored fewer goals.

Joshua Zirkzee made a dream start to life at Manchester United but he is not a typical centre forward

Erik ten Hag’s side may need to sign another striker to fight for the top four during this season

United should look to sign Ivan Toney to increase their chances of reaching the Champions League

United should look to sign Ivan Toney to increase their chances of reaching the Champions League

I certainly think Erik ten Hag will get an improvement out of them this season because a better transfer window under Sir Jim Ratcliffe has increased competition for places in most positions.

That breeds greater intensity in training and the opportunity for the manager to rotate if any of his players are out of form.

The spine that every top team needs is coming together, with a fit-again Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt at the back and Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes in midfield. Casemiro was a big plus on the opening night. After struggling physically last season, he looked fit and sharp.

But there are still holes. In goal, Andre Onana needs to improve on last season and, most importantly, there is a big hole to fill up front.

You could see against Fulham there was not a focal point for the team, while Fernandes and Mason Mount operated as dual false nines.

Hojlund will come back from injury, but is still raw and not at the level to carry that burden yet.

Though Zirkzee came off the bench and grabbed a late winner, buying a No 9 with real character and self-belief has to be a priority.

We know Toney has the swagger and Premier League experience and if Brentford are willing to let him go for £50million, it would be a no-brainer in my view for Ten Hag to get him.

Toney has swagger and Premier League experience and Brentford could let him go for £50million this summer

Toney has swagger and Premier League experience and Brentford could let him go for £50million this summer

United may struggle to achieve their goals if Rasmus Hojlund is their only recognised striker

United may struggle to achieve their goals if Rasmus Hojlund is their only recognised striker

They cannot finish in the top four with Hojlund as their only recognised centre forward. I come back to it again — Zirkzee will be a big asset, but his strength is joining in play and chipping in with goals rather than bearing the main responsibility.

Yes, he can also be that false nine for certain matches, but I don’t see him as the striker United have been crying out for. Prior to joining United, he played 37 times for Bologna last season and scored just 12 goals.

It’s far from being all doom and gloom at United. They do have creativity in the team if they can bring in a player to finish it all off.

The return of left-back Luke Shaw will make them far better balanced and impact positively on Marcus Rashford.

All the evidence shows he is twice the player when Shaw is on the same flank because defenders have something else to think about and Rashford can find space to exploit his speed.

It was good also to see Mount back after horrendous injury problems. He will find it hard to displace Fernandes or Rashford from the starting XI when everyone is available, but the modern game is very much about the squad and players also having an impact from the bench. It was two substitutes, Alejandro Garnacho and Zirkzee, who combined for the goal against Fulham.

Mount has the quality to push others and has a big contribution to make. His work ethic is a real strength. You can trust him without the ball and his pressing caused Fulham discomfort. His end product will improve when he finds rhythm and confidence.

Bernd Leno pulled off a great save to deny him, but you could tell by Mount’s frustrated reaction that he might have been better off dinking his finish than going for power.

It was good to see Mason Mount back in action after his injury problems throughout last year

It was good to see Mason Mount back in action after his injury problems throughout last year

It feels obvious what United have to do in what is left of this summer's transfer window

It feels obvious what United have to do in what is left of this summer’s transfer window

The arrivals of Noussair Mazraoui and De Ligt have added strength in depth to a defence which over-relied on Diogo Dalot last season when Jonny Evans, Shaw, Martinez and Harry Maguire all had injury issues.

It is hard to judge teams fully until the transfer window closes, but for me United are a club where it is obvious what they have to do now.

Without an investment in Toney or a similar striker, who will puff out their chest and make Old Trafford their goalscoring stage, it is hard to make a case for them doing enough to guarantee qualifying for the Champions League.


Source From: Football | Mail Online

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