Mbeumo 'proven quality' - but Man Utd still have striker dilemma

One of Manchester United's key priorities this summer was a search for goals.

Last season was United's worst in the Premier League era, and a key reason was the paltry 44 goals they scored - the average of 1.15 per game their lowest in a top-flight season since 1973-74.

Bryan Mbeumo's expected £65m move will take their guaranteed spending on attacking talent this summer to £127.5m, following the signing of Matheus Cunha from Wolves.

But with both players expected to play in number 10 positions, do the club need a new central striker, or will Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee benefit from added firepower around them?

Chris Sutton, who won the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers, said: "United's attack is clearly an area they need to improve. That's why they have gone for Mbeumo, because I think he is someone they feel they can trust in all areas, in possession and out of it, with the work-rate and energy - and goals too.

"Mbeumo is absolutely not cheap, but that is the going rate for a proven Premier League player.

"They want to bring in signings who are not development players but players who have been there and done it. Mbeumo is one of those. Cunha too.

"The question is do United still need another number nine? Because Rasmus Hojlund did not score enough last season."

By common consent, when United's troublesome Premier League campaign came to an end in May, the key failing that had to be addressed was their lack of goals.

Most assumed that meant a new number nine would be signed.

That United made a big play for Liam Delap - available for £30m from Ipswich - before he signed for Chelsea indicated key figures at Old Trafford felt the same.

Yet now, more than £120m later and with two new additions more at home behind a main forward rather than as one, questions are being asked about whether they will bring in a number nine or if - despite huge reservations - they stick with Hojlund.

The reasoning for the latter would be simple.

In order to fund more expensive recruitment, they need to generate more finance and - aside from sell-on clauses for Anthony Elanga and Alvaro Carreras - they have not managed it.

So a big offer for Aston Villa's England international Ollie Watkins is unlikely and, of the players available for nothing, the injury-hit Dominic Calvert-Lewin and veteran Jamie Vardy represent significant risk.

Though many thought they overpaid at the time, the recruitment team behind then manager Erik ten Hag felt it was worth signing off a £72m fee to bring in Hojlund from Italian club Atalanta.

At the time, Ten Hag said Hojlund had "huge potential" but he had "to prove it". So far, he has not done so.

He scored just four league goals all season, with understudy Zirkzee only managing three.

It has to be said, Hojlund's goals came from chances worth a measly 5.2 expected goals, showing the lack of opportunities he was being provided with - or making for himself.

Sutton said: "Have United been providing him with the chances and the opportunities? The answer to that is no.

"But also, you have to consider whether he has done well enough. Has he ever been a prolific goalscorer? That would be the nagging doubt and is something I have debated with United fans.

"It is not to say he doesn't have time on his side, and his attitude is good too."

But in a summer during which Carreras joined Real Madrid - fulfilling the promise many in the club's academy felt he had before they were overruled by Ten Hag and others who believed the full-back was not quick enough to excel at the highest level - are they ready to give up on Hojlund just yet?

The 22-year-old's contract does not expire until 2028. If they sold now, United wouldn't receive close to the sum they paid for him.

There are many unanswered questions at Old Trafford as the Premier League opener against Arsenal approaches.

Whether they should sign another number nine or stick with Hojlund and hope he flourishes alongside the likes of Cunha and Mbeumo is one of the most significant.

Whatever the decision on United's striker dilemma, there can be little argument the addition of Mbeumo - alongside Cunha - strengthens their firepower.

Only Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, Newcastle's Alexander Isak and Manchester City's Erling Haaland scored more than his 20 Premier League goals last season.

It was, though, the first time he has reached double figures for a top-flight club, and his expected goals (xG) statistic of 12.3 - which he outperformed by 7.7 goals - is something that would be difficult to repeat.

In the past five Premier League seasons, just 14 players have overperformed their xG by five goals or more.

Sutton said: "He has done well at Brentford but playing for Manchester United is very different. With respect to Brentford, there is no great expectation there. At United, he will be expected to perform straight away.

"He has experience, he is a good finisher and his versatility is a big positive - he can play as a central striker as well as on the wing, cutting inside off the right on to his left foot.

"But he has had one very good season where his numbers were very good, so the question is whether he can repeat that."

The Cameroon international is not being bought just for his goals, though.

Mbeumo prefers to play on the right behind a striker - with Cunha expected to feature on the left - but also has the versatility to play centrally, offering another solution to the striker problem.

He topped the list for touches per 90 minutes for players who scored more than 15 goals last season - showing his involvement in play - and ranks as one of the best ball carriers in the league, consistently with an effective end product.

He was 17th on the list of top assisters - with seven - but in expected assists he led the way in the Premier League with 9.3 xA.

Alongside Cunha's creativity, that can only be good news for whoever is chosen to play the central striker role.

"Consistency in those forward positions is what United are striving for, because they have not had it with, say, Alejandro Garnacho or Antony," said Sutton.

"They are maybe thinking an older, more experienced player, who is more reliable, is what they need. That's Mbeumo - he fits into Ruben Amorim's system and he fits the bill as proven Premier League quality too.

"Amorim wants a harmonious camp as well as a consistent performer, not someone who is a 3/10 one week and a 9/10 the next.

"That's what Manchester United have really been lacking and the numbers Mbeumo provided could be really important. That is the part of the jigsaw they have got to really solve if they want to be challenging at the top end of the table."