Pre-season preparations get underway on Monday, although the transfer train has ground to a halt as far as Manchester United are concerned, with Matheus Cunha still the only senior addition this summer – excluding £7m teenager, Diego Leon.
A key crux of the issue appears to be the club’s inability to shift the ‘deadwood’, with manager Ruben Amorim reportedly frustrated at the failure to sell United’s exiled stars, namely Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho, Antony and Marcus Rashford.
That quartet, alongside Tyrell Malacia, have been granted permission to enjoy an extended break, rather than link up with the rest of the squad, with all parties still hopeful of sealing an exit ahead of next season.
Bridges appear to have been burned with almost all of those high-profile figures, none more so than Rashford, with the Englishman still seemingly dreaming of sealing a summer switch to Barcelona.
Should those raft of forwards – including the 27-year-old academy graduate – all be shipped off, it would only further heighten the need for replacements. With that in mind, a potential opening has presented itself to director of football, Jason Wilcox.
The latest on Man Utd's search for a striker
A new name emerged this week amid United’s centre-forward search, with reports indicating that contact has been made regarding a possible move for Aston Villa talisman, Ollie Watkins.
Reportedly available for £60m, the 29-year-old would prove a ready-made solution for the Red Devils, having hit double figures for goals in each of his five Premier League seasons at Villa Park.
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As reported by The Mirror, however, the England international isn’t the only option on Wilcox’s striker shortlist, with the club also considering a move for Chelsea’s Christopher Nkunku.
According to the report, United have been offered the chance to sign the 27-year-old for a knock-down price of £35m, with the former RB Leipzig man deemed to be surplus to requirements, amid the signings of Liam Delap and Joao Pedro at Stamford Bridge.
As the piece also notes, the prospect of a swap deal involving the aforementioned Garnacho had been floated, although the Blues are more likely to consider a straight sale instead as they seek to balance the books.
Why Nkunku could be another Rashford for Amorim
If United were targeting the Nkunku of two years ago, there would be undoubted excitement at Old Trafford, with the Frenchman having joined the west Londoners after registering 126 goal involvements in just 172 games at Leipzig.
The man who once hit 35 goals in all competitions in 2021/22 hasn’t been seen in English football, however, with the one-time Paris Saint-Germain man having been unable to recover from an injury-hit start to life at the Bridge.
Struck down with a knee issue during pre-season in the summer of 2023, Nkunku has since gone on to start just 11 Premier League games across the last two campaigns combined, scoring just six top-flight goals in total in that time.
A particular issue has been his inability to nail down a consistent role for himself under Mauricio Pochettino and Enzo Maresca, having operated off the left, as a number ten or as a central striker to date – all with little success.
That question mark over whether he is best out wide or centrally is one that has also plagued Rashford, with the United outcast recently stating that he is finding it “more natural” to play as a number nine, despite Amorim’s prior claim that such a role “is not the best one for him”.
2024/25*
24
7
3
2023/24
43
8
6
2022/23
56
30
11
2021/22
32
5
2
2020/21
57
21
18
Rashford is currently out in the cold under the Portuguese coach, having not featured for the Old Trafford side since sitting out the Manchester Derby back in December, with his 30-goal heroics in 2022/23 now looking like a distant memory.
Amorim, and those at United, are seemingly in need of a fresh start without the £300k-per-week man onboard, with there likely to be concern that Nkunku could provide a similarly expensive problem, considering his own £195k-per-week salary.
Interestingly too, Rashford and Nkunku were noted as statistically similar players in the Premier League in 2024/25, as per FBref, with that likeness perhaps a key reason why such a move should be avoided.
Yes, the Nkunku of 2023 would be a worthy Watkins alternative, but the same could very much be said of the Rashford of 2023, in contrast to the one of the present. For both men, it looks like their best days could already be behind them.
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