What did it say of Manchester United‘s forward line that Michael Carrick‘s first port of call last weekend was to unleash Marcus Rashford at half-time, the Englishman having last played for the club almost 20 months ago?
Amad is injured. Benjamin Sesko is still working his way back to full fitness. Patrick Dorgu has done little to suggest he can be the long-term solution on the left flank.
United ended that 2-0 defeat with Rashford on one wing and a 19-year-old Shea Lacey on the other, with the attacking depth already being tested on the opening weekend.
Joshua Zirkzee, an unused substitute in Hull, appears to be heading out the door by all accounts – does that mean there is still hope of a new forward arriving at Old Trafford?
Why INEOS could be making a mistake with Man Utd’s forward line
It was unsurprisingly the backline that came in for criticism at the weekend, as did the new-look midfield pairing of Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos, but the forward line has perhaps had a bit of an easy ride.
Only Bryan Mbeumo truly tested Hull ‘keeper Konstantinos Tzolakis, firing two right-footed efforts on goal, albeit with even the Cameroonian looking rather blunt otherwise.
Matheus Cunha was anonymous in a number nine role, while the aforementioned Sesko made no impact off the bench, the Slovenian having not featured at all in pre-season after sustaining a shin injury back in May.
It was that man Rashford who perhaps posed the biggest threat, yet the sight of Luke Shaw overlapping his England colleague showcased just how little the Red Devils have progressed down that left flank in recent years.
Jadon Sancho and Alejandro Garnacho have, rightly, fallen by the wayside, yet where once United were inundated with wingers, there does appear to be room for improvement as things stand.
|
Man Utd Forwards – 25/26 League Form |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Goals |
Assists |
|
Sesko |
11 |
1 |
|
Mbeumo |
11 |
3 |
|
Cunha |
10 |
2 |
|
Dorgu |
4 |
4 |
|
Zirkzee |
2 |
1 |
|
Amad |
2 |
3 |
|
Rashford* |
8 |
7 |
|
*At Barcelona |
||
By all accounts, INEOS’ priority after signing Carlos Baleba is to look for a new left-back, but with a return to Champions League action looming, is the attack really strong enough and deep enough to challenge on multiple fronts?
Big moves are still being made as the deadline looms, and with Liverpool closing in on a deal for Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola, now’s the time for United to make a splash of their own.
How Man Utd could sign their answer to Barcola
This new INEOS regime appears intent on avoiding a repeat of the mistakes made by the previous United hierarchy, making measured moves in the market rather than splashing the cash in scattergun style.
There is merit in that approach, yet in an ever-inflated market, there is a danger of being left behind. Indeed, the club’s record signing remains that of Paul Pogba, United still the only ‘big six’ club not to break the £100m barrier.
In Liverpool’s case, the Merseysiders look set to do so for the third time in 12 months, with the £120m investment in Barcola set to follow the prior deals for Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz.
That’s not to say United have to spend over the odds necessarily, but Carrick’s forward line is still perhaps missing that ‘wow’ factor right now.
Well, as per TEAMtalk, the Red Devils may have one option in mind, with the report suggesting that they are one of the clubs to have ‘looked closely’ at Everton talisman, Iliman Ndiaye.
Rivals Manchester City are currently at the front of the queue, as they prepare an £80m offer to test the Toffees’ resolve, suggesting that United will have to move quickly if they are to firm up their interest.
Bringing Ndiaye to Manchester would be a coup for either club, with the Senegal international undoubtedly “one of the best left-wingers in the Premier League“, in the view of Arsenal reporter and analyst, Harvey Diamonds.
Also just as comfortable on his right, the 26-year-old is such a delightful talent to watch, arguably underrated considering his level of performance on Merseyside of late.
Yes, he hasn’t produced groundbreaking numbers for the Toffees, but he is part of a relatively conservative team under David Moyes, with there reason to believe he might explode in a more dominant outfit.
From United’s perspective, he may well prove to be their answer to Barcola, and for a cheaper price too, with Ndiaye mirroring the Frenchman as such a devastating dribbler on either flank.
Since the start of last season, the former Marseille man has only registered 19 goal involvements in the Premier League, including an assist on the opening weekend against Crystal Palace, yet his innate ball-carrying prowess speaks for itself.
Last term, for instance, he finished second in the division in terms of total successful dribbles completed, behind only Jeremy Doku, having averaged 2.3 per game.
During his time in France, meanwhile, the 2023/24 campaign saw Ndiaye average 1.5 per game, while scoring and assisting six goals in Ligue 1 that year.
For context, that same season saw Barcola average 1.9 successful dribbles per game, while only just ahead with 11 goals and assists racked up for PSG.
As for last term, Ndiaye ranked in the top 13% of wingers in Europe’s big five leagues in terms of successful dribbles, while Barcola was only just behind, ranking in the top 27% for that same metric.
In essence, these are two supremely gifted, fleet-footed forwards who can bamboozle defenders with their blend of speed, trickery and skill, so adept at carrying the ball forward from deep.
Indeed, while Barcola may represent a game-changer at Anfield, Ndiaye could be just the same at Old Trafford.