Manchester United’s dismal season in the Premier League continued to hit new lows after a 1-0 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Vitor Pereira’s side, who have been battling relegation all season, are now level on points with the Red Devils on 58 points, only behind them on goal difference.
A stunning free-kick from Pablo Sarabia was the difference between the two sides in Manchester, as a moment of quality decided the match in a stadium where that has often been the case for the home team in the Premier League era.
A lack of quality sums up where United are at this moment in time – sat 14th in the league table – and their selection of strikers is a damning indictment on the recruitment work done behind the scenes in recent years.
Rasmus Hojlund, signed from Atalanta in a £72m deal in 2023, started against Wolves and failed to score, which means that he has scored three goals in 28 Premier League matches.
Joshua Zirkzee was unavailable and is set to miss the remainder of the season due to a hamstring injury, but he has rarely provided the quality that United need in the final third.
Why Man Utd could move on from Joshua Zirkzee
The Red Devils reportedly paid a fee of £36.5m to sign the Netherlands international from Serie A side Bologna last summer to compete with Hojlund for a spot in the starting line-up.
Unfortunately, neither of them have performed well enough to nail down the position of Manchester United’s first-choice number nine, instead taking turns at struggling at the top end of the pitch in the Premier League.
Zirkzee has started 14 of his 32 appearances in the division, which shows that he has failed to perform well enough to be a consistent starter, and scored three goals from 4.82 xG in that time.
Non-penalty xG
0.31
Bottom 36%
Non-penalty goals
0.19
Bottom 16%
Shots
1.89
Bottom 9%
Assists
0.06
Bottom 19%
Expected Assisted Goals
0.10
Bottom 41%
Shot-creating actions
1.99
Bottom 31%
As you can see in the table above, the Dutch centre-forward ranks incredibly lowly among strikers in the Premier League in a host of key goalscoring metrics.
These statistics show that Zirkzee does not get into high-quality goalscoring positions on a regular basis and that he fails to make the most of his opportunities when they do come his way.
The former Bayern Munich gem turns 24 next month, almost two years older than Hojlund, and could be moved on this summer to make room for a new striker. He cost more than £30m less than the Danish prospect, which could make it more appealing to sell to limit any losses on their initial outlay.
Man Utd reach agreement with £30m striker
According to Africa Foot, as relayed by TEAMtalk, Manchester United have already reached an agreement with Victor Osimhen and his representatives ahead of a possible transfer.
The report claims that the Red Devils have struck a deal with the Nigeria international ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window, as they look to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch.
It reveals that Osimhen wants to move to the Premier League to take the next step in his career, and he has now given the green light to a transfer to Old Trafford.
The outlet adds that a permanent exit from Napoli is on the cards for the striker this summer, despite his contract not ending until 2026, and that a fee of up to £30m could be enough to secure his services.
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Whilst an agreement may have been reached with Osimhen and his representatives, Manchester United still need to agree a deal with the Italian club to ensure that the forward is part of Ruben Amorim’s squad for the 2025/26 campaign.
The agreement with the player does suggest that they are closing in on the Galatasaray loanee, though, and that may not be good news for Zirkzee and his future in Manchester.
Why Manchester United should sign Victor Osimhen
The Red Devils must continue on their path to signing Osimhen from Napoli this summer because he could come in to solve the problems that they have had in the striker position this season.
The 26-year-old marksman is a prolific and reliable goalscorer who has proven his quality at the top end of the pitch in recent seasons, in Italy, France, and Turkey, whilst the United front two have struggled throughout the 2024/25 campaign in the Premier League.
24/25
Galatasaray
33
29
23/24
Napoli
32
17
22/23
Napoli
39
31
21/22
Napoli
32
18
20/21
Napoli
30
10
19/20
Lille
35
17
As you can see in the table above, Osimhen has scored 17 goals or more in five of the last six seasons for Lille, Napoli, and Galatasaray, with a staggering 29 goals in 33 matches in the current campaign.
The Napoli forward, who was once described as a “monster” by analyst Ben Mattinson, was particularly impressive in the 2022/23 Serie A season, scoring 26 goals to guide his side to the title.
Zirkzee, meanwhile, has only scored seven goals in 48 matches in all competitions in his debut year in England, which would be Osimhen’s lowest tally in any of his last six years.
This suggests that Osimhen, who currently ranks within the top 1% of forwards in the Men’s Big 5 Leagues and European competitions for non-penalty xG per 90 (0.98), would come in as a significant upgrade on both Zirkzee and Hojlund due to his ability to consistently and reliably find the back of the net, adapting to new countries and leagues with ease.
In terms of what that would mean for the current United strikers, Zirkzee being older and less expensive than Hojlund could result in him being the one to be sent packing to make room for the Nigerian striker ahead of next season.
Therefore, the news that United have reached an agreement with Osimhen should come as bad news to the Dutch attacker, whose days at Old Trafford may already be numbered.
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It is now down to the board to ensure that they can reach an agreement with Napoli, whether that is for a fee of £30m or not, to bolster Amorim’s attacking options.