Manchester United have been left ruing their decision to snub a swoop for Serhou Guirassy last year amid Ruben Amorim’s continued attacking deficiencies. Only Everton, Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton have scored fewer goals than the Red Devils’ 28 in 24 Premier League games this season.
United have splashed £108.5million to sign Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee in the past two summer transfer windows, but neither has been regularly productive.
Amad and Bruno Fernandes are Amorim’s top scorers this season but have netted just nine each. Hojlund has notched seven and Zirkzee five – but those tallies become two and three in the league.
United are expected to pursue a new striker in a third successive off-season later this year, potentially cashing in on either of Amorim’s current options to fund a move.
The Old Trafford giants’ failure to replace Marcus Rashford after his late loan switch to Aston Villa in January sparked uproar among concerned supporters.
Amorim suggested that the call was with the summer in mind amid financial restrictions imposed by the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR).
There was also a lack of realistic options, but the same can’t be said about 12 months earlier when United, again, were short of goals.
Guirassy was enjoying an astonishing season in front of goal for Stuttgart, which he ended with 30 strikes in as many appearances, including 28 in 28 in the Champions League.
And the Guinean’s relentless goalscoring habits were made all the more eye-catching by the £14.6million release clause in his Stuttgart contract.
However, according to The Athletic, United considered the fee too high for a 27-year-old who hadn’t previously enjoyed as prolific a campaign.
Stuttgart’s Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund took a chance, activating his exit in the summer, and have been handsomely rewarded.
Guirassy has scored 19 goals in 28 games in all competitions this season, providing a further six assists.
The 28-year-old, who turns 29 next month, is currently the top goalscorer in this term’s Champions League, netting 10 times in nine outings, seven of them starts.
Guirassy has found the net against Club Brugge, Celtic, Dinamo Zagreb, Barcelona, Bologna, Shakhtar Donetsk and Sporting, only drawing blank against Real Madrid and Sturm Graz.
Amorim is relying on Hojlund and Zirkzee, as well as his entire attack, to increase their output across the remainder of the season.
United are still challenging for the FA Cup and Europa League but are slumped in 13th in the Premier League.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk