Manchester United exited the FA Cup this season in a thrilling encounter against Fulham last night, losing 4-3 in a penalty shootout.
The match highlighted the ongoing struggles of the Red Devils this season, with the Cottagers appearing to be the stronger team in terms of skill, style of play, and depth on the bench.
The sole reason Manchester United managed to take the match to penalties was Andre Onana, as the Cameroonian goalkeeper made a series of crucial saves, keeping Ruben Amorim’s side in contention.
Unfortunately, that alone wasn’t sufficient for United to secure a victory, as they ultimately could not overcome the London side.
Once again, Amorim opted to start both Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, and it’s safe to say that both players failed to deliver the expected performance once more.
Hojlund was substituted in the second half for the young talent, Chido Obi-Martin, who displayed more potential during his time on the field than the Dane did.
Man Utd must sign prolific striker
The recent elimination from the FA Cup served as a clear indication that Man Utd must strengthen the striker position ahead of next summer.
According to the Spanish outlet Fichajes, Man Utd is set to trigger the release clause, agreeing to a £62 million deal with Napoli to acquire the talented, yet sidelined, Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen.
Osimhen has established himself as one of Europe’s finest strikers for quite some time. After experiencing a fallout with the Italian team, he is currently on loan at Galatasaray, where he has made an impact by scoring 12 goals in 19 league matches, and it’s evident he will be looking for a transfer to a top European team next summer.
While Man Utd would benefit from having the African striker on their roster, Osimhen may be reluctant to join Old Trafford, especially since the club is not consistently competing in the Champions League or fighting for silverware. He is too skilled to be a part of a team that is currently battling in the mid-table like the Red Devils.
There’s no question that Ruben Amorim requires a dependable marksman upfront if he has aspirations of creating a successful project in Manchester.
At present, the performance of his squad is far from sufficient, and significant choices will need to be made next summer for the club’s improvement.
The forthcoming summer will be crucial for Man Utd, and they must get their recruitment right to try to regain their competitive edge.
Currently, they are nothing more than a mid-table Premier League team with a rich history, and it will be interesting to see if their situation improves in the future.