Since the summer of 2023, Manchester United have spent around £174.5 million on three new centre-forwards, and have strengthened their young squad with the signings of Rasmus Højlund, Joshua Zirkzee and Benjamin Sesco in successive summers.
result? Now, this expensive trio have since scored just 20 goals in the Premier League over the past two-and-a-half years, and United appear to be repeating that approach in the market, but are still hoping for a different result.
A move towards younger, relatively unproven strikers has been a recent theme at Old Trafford, marking a clear shift away from the more short-term approach that saw the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani and Cristiano Ronaldo parachuted in to lead the line.
This trend also comes as they look to bring in more left-field instant strikers such as Wout Weghorst and Odion Ighalo, and it looked as if the INEOS regime could repeat the trick with its own wildcard signing in 2026.
Manchester United discuss new Ighalo’s personal terms
The Red Devils have long been without a consistent world-class number nine, with Robin van Persie remaining the last player for the club to score 20 league goals in a season.
Manchester United’s top scorers in the PL by season | |
|---|---|
season | top scorer |
24/25 | Fernandes & Amado – 8 |
23/24 | Fernandes & Hoylund – 10 |
22/23 | Marcus Rashford – 17 |
21/22 | Cristiano Ronaldo – 18 |
20/21 | Bruno Fernandes – 18 |
19/20 | Rashford & Martial – 17 |
18/19 | Paul Pogba – 13 |
17/18 | Romelu Lukaku – 16 |
16/17 | Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 17 |
15/16 | Anthony Martial – 11 |
14/15 | Wayne Rooney – 12 |
13/14 | Wayne Rooney – 17 |
12/13 | Robin van Persie – 26 |
Statistics by WhoScored | |
Things might have been different had Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s recommendations from Erling Haaland not been ignored. The treble winner was also chasing his compatriot in his first full season at the club in 2019-20.
As it proved, the Norwegian joined Borussia Dortmund ahead of the January 2020 deadline, with United scrambling on deadline day to sign boyhood fan Odion Ighalo from China’s Shanghai Shenhua on an initial loan deal.
This was certainly not a deal that had been expected in advance, and the same could probably be said for Auxerre marksman Racine Shinayoko, amid reports that INEOS are moving ahead with a move for the Ligue 1 star.
In fact, according to Africa Foot, United have been discussing personal terms with the 26-year-old, with the two sides believed to be close to agreeing a €3 million ($2 million) annual salary.
The suggestion is that Ruben Amorim’s side hope to secure a deal for Shinayoko next month before he joins on a free transfer next summer.
Why United are targeting the new Ighalo
Whether Shinayoko arrives in January or at the end of the season, he could be the wildcard addition that Amorim needs, especially since the aforementioned Sesco has scored just two goals since his summer move from RB Leipzig.
The Auxerre hitman may not be an appealing or household name, but Ighalo’s example shows the experienced Nigerian can make a solid impact in Manchester’s new surroundings and a left-wing swoop could come to fruition.
In fact, the former Watford star ended up scoring five goals in his first six months at Old Trafford, including a brilliant juggling goal against LASK Linz in the Europa League.
While his stay was certainly short and he achieved little, Ighalo proved to be a useful tool under Solskjær, particularly as United progressed to the top of both the FA Cup and Europa League.
As with the 2020 arrivals, it’s great to see some hidden talent start to blossom at United, a club that has often been plagued by the pursuit of too many high-profile and big-money contracts.
If Shinayoko were to join on a free transfer, he might fit neatly into Ighalo’s category, given his modest but consistent performances during his stay in France.
The 6-foot-1 forward, who is currently on AFCON duty with Mali, has six goals in Ligue 1 this season after scoring 14 goals and assisting in France’s top flight last season.
Although not prolific himself, he, like Ighalo, would provide United with a real focal point in attack. His high physical ability is evidenced by the fact that, according to FBref, he ranks in the top 2% of strikers in Europe’s five major leagues in interceptions per 90 attempts, and in the top 8% in tackles.
Similarly, like Ighalo, who scored 16 goals in 37 games for Nigeria, Sinayoko has also proven his quality on the international stage, with his recent two goals at this year’s AFCON taking him to nine goals in 27 games for Nigeria.
With Sesco struggling and Zirkzee looking close to leaving for Roma, United definitely need at least one striker for 2026, and a bargain swoop for a player like Shinayoko could be just what they need.
He might just surprise a few people, as Ighalo did before.
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