Manchester United interim manager, Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Van Nistelrooy: Yeah, I agree that when you want to be a successful side in the Premier League and in Europe – and that is what the build is all about – you’re going to need a certain amount of goals
Manchester United interim manager, Ruud van Nistelrooy, has said that the club meeded a proven goalscorer to become a force again.
United invested £108.5 million in strikers, Rasmus Hojlund and Johsua Zirkze, in successive summer transfer windows yet the former has managed two goals in 11 appearances this term and Zirkzee has one goal in 16 United games.
In the Premier League, United has a -3 goal difference, having scraped nine goals in ten games.
Under Van Nistelrooy’s interim management, they have scored eight goals in three matches.
Former United manager, Erik ten Hag, wanted to sign Harry Kane last year but the United hierarchy refused to deal with Tottenham chairman, Daniel Levy, before Bayern Munich bought Kane.
Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres will be available for £63m next summer and the Sweden international has pillaged 23 goals in 15 games for the Portuguese champions this season.
Also read: Three Manchester United players that caused me my job – Ten Hag
When Van Nistelrooy signed for United for a British record £19 million in 2001, Sir Alex Ferguson already had Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Teddy Sheringham in the strikers department.
Van Nistelrooy, scorer of 150 goals in 219 United games, all but admitted United currently lack a proven striker.
“Yeah, I agree that when you want to be a successful side in the Premier League and in Europe – and that is what the build is all about – you’re going to need a certain amount of goals,” Van Nistelrooy said.
“That is clear, that is the effects in football.
“And that’s why the best teams in the world have those players. At the moment, we have players who get a certain amount of goals or assists but, obviously, they are in an age where they still have to be developed and there is the potential they will be and the belief is there that they can. And that is this moment where we are.”
Marcus Rashford is the only United player who has broken the 30-goal barrier in a season since Robin van Persie did during Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season in charge in 2012-13.
Rashford broke the 20-goal barrier in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns but then managed a meagre five goals in 2021-22 and eight goals in 2023-24.
Hojlund, a £72m addition from Atalanta last year, has tallied 18 goals in 53 games.
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