Højlund set to sign for €84m - why Man Utd desperately need a new striker for next season

Manchester United are set to make their next big signing of the summer transfer window, with Atalanta striker Rasmus Højlund expected to make the move to the Old Trafford club in the coming days. According to multiple reports in England and Italy, the 20-year-old goalscorer will join the Premier League club for no less than an initial €75 million, but could reach a total of €84m. 

Considering the fact that Højlund only made the move to Atalanta last year for a paltry sum of €17.2m, some Man Utd fans may be wondering why their club are spending so much money on a forward that has only enjoyed one season in one of Europe’s biggest leagues. But when we take a look at Erik ten Hag’s squad and the troubles it faced last season, it should become abundantly clear why the club have gone all in on this exciting, young No.9. 

Why Man Utd need a new striker 

Few Man Utd fans will need convincing that the club are in need of a new striker this summer. Although Ten Hag’s side finished third in the league table last season, had the division been ranked by goals scored then Man Utd would have found themselves sitting in joint-seventh place alongside Brentford, having scored just three more goals than Fulham and an incredible 36 less than cross-city rivals Manchester City. 

Much of that issue comes from the fact that Man Utd have very few goalscorers in their team. Last season saw Marcus Rashford finish the campaign as the club’s top goalscorer with 30 goals, followed by Bruno Fernandes on 14. No one else in Ten Hag’s team was capable of mustering enough goals to break into the double digits, with Anthony Martial, Antony and Jadon Sancho scoring a combined total of 24 between them. 

Player Comparison

Rasmus Højlund

Marcus Rashford

Manchester United

Manchester United

€65.00m

Market Value

€75.00m

20

Age

26

Centre-Forward

Position

Left Winger

Jun 30, 2028

Contract until

Jun 30, 2028

Full Player Comparison

When we then consider the fact that Rashford and Fernandes aren’t players that technically play as traditional strikers and only averaged around 0.63 and 0.24 goals per 90 minutes respectively, it really underlines just how much Man Utd desperately needed to find a new source of goals for next season. And they may now have exactly that in Højlund. 

How good is Rasmus Højlund?

Having made the move to Atalanta after the league campaign had already kicked off, Højlund had to adapt to Serie A extremely quickly and it was exactly that which has now led him to Man Utd. Over the course of the next 32 league games, the young striker bagged nine goals and four assists, averaging a goal or an assist 141 minutes. That may not seem like much, but as Jatin Dietl, Transfermarkt Area Manager for Italy, puts it, it quickly underlined Højlund’s incredible potential. “He has the full package,” noted Dietl. “He can play in any attacking position, he has good physical strength and speed, but also has great technique and an impressive goal instinct. Maybe he lacks a bit of consistency and certainly he has to grow, but he is only 20 years old and his potential seems to be enormous.”

Indeed, it’s the potential that is key here. While Højlund may not have been in the running for the Golden Boot last season, he quickly established himself as a player that could be Europe’s next star No.9. And Man Utd have clearly rushed to swoop in and sign him up before his market value shoots well beyond where it currently stands at €45m and onwards towards the likes of Victor Osimhen or Harry Kane. Højlund may take some time to start chipping in with his share of the goals at Man Utd next season, but he could ultimately prove to be a much smarter signing than the aforementioned star No.9s.