Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Man Utd striker search: Old Trafford legend names two prolific hitmen who will ‘jump out’ at Erik ten Hag in summer search

Harry Kane and Son Heung-min of Tottenham

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand believes there are two strikers who ‘jump out at you’ as the Red Devils focus on a move for a new No.9 this summer.

Erik ten Hag did add to his striking options by landing fellow Dutchman Wout Weghorst on loan in January. However, the Burnley man is not expected to turn his short-term stay into a permanent one beyond the end of this season.

And while Ferdinand has been impressed by what Weghorst has done at Old Trafford, he still expects big money to be thrown at the position for the 2023/24 campaign.

The former England centre-back has named Victor Osimhen and Harry Kane as the top two options for Ten Hag.

Tottenham forward Kane, who has long been linked with United, is enjoying another strong season in north London despite Spurs’ inconsistencies. The England skipper has scored 22 goals in all competitions for Antonio Conte’s men.

Meanwhile, Osimhen is a target for a number of clubs, including Chelsea, having notched 19 Serie A goals in Napoli’s charge to Serie A title glory.

And Ferdinand told William Hill: “I think United are looking to sign a striker, there’s no secrets around it.

“Wout Weghorst was maybe a short-term option, although I think he has offered a lot and is doing everything that the manager would have wanted.

“There are two options that jump out at you. I think Victor Osimhen, in terms of form and being that out-and-out number nine striker, is arguably in better form than anyone in the world at the moment.

“Harry Kane is also someone people are talking about – there may be contract negotiations with Tottenham coming up, or perhaps he’d be looking to move.

“If that were to be the case, then I wouldn’t be disappointed with either. I think signing a number nine who can score 20-25 goals a season is something that the club are looking to do.”

Ten Hag can do no wrong

Having seen both Arsenal and Manchester City win on Saturday, United know they need all three points when they head to bitter rivals Liverpool on Sunday.

The Red Devils won the first trophy of the season last weekend when they beat Newcastle in the Carabao Cup final. However, they are still in the mix for the Premier League title, atre through ti last-16 of the Europa League and also have a home quarter-final against GFulham in the FA Cup.

And Ferdinand has been taking about his old club’s progress under their new manager, Ferdinand added: “I think Erik ten Hag has been fabulous up to this point. He’s answered every single question and overcome every obstacle that has been placed in front of him.

“Whether it be Marcus Rashford being late, the captaincy situation with Harry Maguire, or the incident with Cristiano Ronaldo, he’s dealt with it perfectly. Long may that continue!

“You can’t judge a season when it’s not even finished yet. But we’ve already got a trophy, and if we finish in the Champions League places, which is looking increasingly likely, then it’s definitely a successful season.

“You have to think of how United fans were feeling at the start of the campaign, including myself, saying that we weren’t going to finish in the top four.

“Compared to today, the feeling surrounding the camp and within the fanbase is very much on a different level to the one when the season started.”

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