Manchester United’s wastefulness in front of goal has once again turned the attention to the club’s ageing strikeforce.
Having Edinson Cavani and Cristiano Ronaldo leading the line is all well and good when they are scoring, but neither have yet netted for the Red Devils in 2022.
Cavani’s contract expires at the end of the season, heightening United’s need to add an attacker.
Sensibly United are exploring possible options.
Manchester United have sent scouts to watch promising Ligue 1 striker Hugo Ekitike, report 90Min.
United were one of several teams who had representatives in action watching Ekitike playing for Ligue 1 side Reims last weekend.
Ekitike, 19, has scored nine goals in 19 Ligue 1 games this season and also provided three assists. He also has one goal in the Coupe de France.
In those 19 league games, he has only started 11 of them and he is averaging a goal every 116 minutes. Reims sit 14th in Ligue 1.
The young forward came close to joining Newcastle on transfer deadline day, with a £33 million move agreed before he turned down their offer, The Chronicle reported.
It is highly likely he moves on this summer, and there are quite clearly going to be a host of clubs chasing his services. It makes perfect sense for United to be checking him out.
The Mail reported Ekitike’s emergence has been compared to Kylian Mbappe, who made a name for himself at Monaco before joining Paris Saint-Germain.
With Mason Greenwood no longer is being considered at United, United need a young striker to build around.
Ekitike has a good chance to fill that role.
The 6ft 2″ striker is ‘is widely recognised as one of the best young players in European football’, The Mail report.
United were advised to pursue Kylian Mbappe while he was at Monaco, Ryan Giggs told The Times, but the club failed to listen to his advice.
United won’t want to miss out again on a player who could be the next big striker.
Ekitike scored at the weekend in front of watching scouts, and no teenage striker has more goals than he does this season in Europe’s top five leagues.