In brief
Rasmus Hojlund’s Manchester United scoring woes persist.
Manchester United’s strike problems were caused by squandered opportunities for Kane and Haaland.
Alexander Isak of Newcastle was one of the other possible jewels that United lost out on.
Ruben Amorim and his team may be pleased with Manchester United’s recent 3-2 victory over Ipswich Town because it was their first Premier League triumph at Old Trafford in more than a month, but Rasmus Hojlund’s goalless streak continued. The Dane’s last goal in English football came against Nottingham Forest in December, and he has now gone 15 games without a goal at home, including the FA Cup.
The 22-year-old was hailed as the striker of the future, but other from a scorching run in December and January of last season, there has been no indication that the former Atalanta player is quite worth the £72 million that was spent on him. He has a limited amount of time to establish his value because the Red Devils are having trouble in front of goal.
However, things may have turned out quite differently because United was considering five other names to fill the number nine spot a year prior to Hojlund’s arrival. And nearly all of them have achieved significantly more success than the man who is currently in charge of the queue for the 20-time English champions.
Harry Kane
Bayern Munich
Harry Kane, who appeared to be linked to a move to Old Trafford every year until ultimately joining Bayern Munich, was arguably United’s most well-known target. Erik ten Hag even considered the England captain at the same time as Hojlund, but Benni McCarthy, the former United coach, disclosed that the club selected Hojlund because of his ability to be a star for a longer time than Kane would probably be given their age difference.
While the man they selected struggles, Kane thrives in Germany and is now well on his approach to winning his first league title. They may live to regret it.
Club Statistics for Harry Kane Since the 2022–2023 Season
Games
126
Objectives
105
Helps
27
Erling Haaland
Manchester City
Even before becoming temporary leadership in 2019, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer appealed with the Manchester United board to sign Erling Haaland. When the Norwegian coach first saw Haaland at Molde, he had the potential to become a true superstar.
When the striker chose Borussia Dortmund instead, he believed he was going to land him. The club was still interested, but the ship had already sailed, and they were left wondering what might have happened. Currently dominating the Etihad, the Ballon d’Or candidate has already established himself as one of the Premier League’s top goal scorers.
Club Statistics for Erling Haaland Since the 2022–2023 Season
Games
134
Objectives
118
Helps
17
Alexander Isak
Newcastle United
Alexander Isak of Newcastle, who has emerged as one of the top frontmen in English football, is another player dominating the Premier League without playing for United. The Swede’s primary concern has always been his level of fitness, but when he is in shape, he is as reliable a goal threat as they come.
The 25-year-old, who is connected to several of the best teams in Europe, recently made history by being one of the fastest players to reach 50 Premier League goals. A player who could have been a jewel was lost to United.
Club Statistics for Alexander Isak Since the 2022–2023 Season
Games
99
Objectives
57
Helps
9.
Lautaro Martinez
Inter Milan
Given how excellent Lautaro Martinez has been in Italy, it makes sense that the Inter Milan captain was also on United’s shortlist of strikers. In addition to becoming a star for Argentina, the World Cup winner has been at the front of all the positive things the Nerazzurri have accomplished in recent years.
He placed in the top 10 in the 2024 Ballon d’Or rankings as a result of his performance, and nothing will stop him from moving up the ladder even more in the years to follow. However, that probably wouldn’t have occurred if he had joined the chaos at Old Trafford.
Club Statistics for Lautaro Martinez Since the 2022–2023 Season
Games
136
Objectives
71
Helps
24
Patrick Schick
Bayer Leverkusen
Patrick Schick might be the most obvious player on this list that United was smart to avoid. The six-foot-three attacker, who is well-known for his amazing half-line performance against Scotland during the postponed Euro 2020, has the physique of a typical target man but possesses far more technical skill than that.
but not being a consistent starter for Bayer Leverkusen, he was a member of the team that finished the 2023–24 season undefeated. This season, he has scored 15 goals in 20 Bundesliga games, but only starting 43 percent of them. At the moment, Hojlund could only dream of setting that record.
Club Statistics for Patrick Schick Since the 2022–2023 Season
Games
87
Objectives
38
Helps
5.
