For the 13th time in the Premier League this season, Manchester United played out a full 90-minute match without getting on the scoresheet, having slipped to a narrow 1-0 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday afternoon.
Pablo Sarabia’s 77th-minute free-kick was a rare moment of quality in a largely lifeless affair at Old Trafford, albeit with the hosts likely to feel they should have walked away with all three points.
Indeed, Rasmus Hojlund notably came agonisingly close to getting on the end of Alejandro Garnacho’s driven cross, while both Bruno Fernandes and Mason Mount also produced wayward attempts after being expertly picked out by the Argentine winger.
Even an inch-perfect, outside of the boot cross from Christian Eriksen could not be capitalised on by Mount, with the £55m Englishman still having scored just once since his arrival back in the summer of 2023.
Hojlund too has netted only three league goals in 2024/25 to date, a grim return for any leading number nine, with Ruben Amorim likely to be tearing his hair out at his side’s frustrating profligacy.
Having gone from seeing Viktor Gyokeres dazzle under his watch, the Portuguese coach is now in desperate need of a new attacking figurehead.
Latest on Man Utd’s search for a forward
All of the talk at present is centred around United’s apparent progressing interest in Wolverhampton Wanderers talisman, Matheus Cunha, with it looking likely that the club will trigger the Brazilian’s £62.5m release clause, amid positive talks over his potential contract in Manchester.
The 14-goal marksman may not be the only Premier League talent to arrive at the Theatre of Dreams this summer, however, with the Daily Mail’s Simon Jones – who outlined that an agreement regarding Cunha is inching closer – also naming a raft of high-profile stars who are under consideration.
Indeed, according to Jones, among those to have made the INEOS shortlist is Bournemouth man, Antoine Semenyo, with the Red Devils already said to have held talks over signing the Ghanaian forward.
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This follows prior reports which outlined that United are actually frontrunners in the race for the 25-year-old’s signature, albeit with it yet to be seen if Amorim and co will be willing or able to match the Cherries’ £70m price tag.
A versatile asset who can operate on the flanks or in a central role, Semenyo could represent the perfect addition to bolster Amorim’s forward line, with the potential their for the 40-year-old to morph him into his new Gyokeres-esque talisman.
Why Man Utd could be targeting Amorim’s new Gyokeres
As outlined by journalist Mark Ogden, it has been a remarkable rise for the Sporting CP sensation in recent times, having gone from being sold for just £1m by then-Brighton and Hove Albion director, Dan Ashworth, back in 2021, to now standing aloft as the “hottest striker in Europe”.
Indeed, the 6 foot 2 Swede failed to actually make a league appearance for the Seagulls, while enduring a handful of less than spectacular loan spells away from the Amex – having notably scored just five goals in 2020/21 for the likes of Swansea City and Coventry City.
That steady rise only truly ignited following Gyokeres’ permanent switch to Coventry at the end of that campaign, as he went on to score 38 times in the Championship over the next two seasons.
Since moving to Lisbon on a £17m deal in 2023, the 26-year-old has soared even higher, bagging 90 goals in just 96 games – 66 of which came in just 68 outings under Amorim’s watch.
That journey from EFL struggler to elite-level monster is one which Semenyo certainly knows well, with the London-born ace having started out on the books at Bristol City, while also taking on loan moves at the likes of Bath City, Newport County and Sunderland.
The 6 foot 1 star memorably failed to score during that limp stint at the Stadium of Light, while actually only scoring 21 times in 121 games back at Ashton Gate – albeit while plundering a further 21 assists.
Like Gyokeres, however, it has taken the step up from the second tier for Semenyo to truly flourish, having now scored 16 Premier League goals since the start of 2023/24, while contributing a further eight assists.
Like Gyokeres too, what also stands out regarding the in-demand talent is just what a powerful presence he is in the final third, having been hailed as “almost unplayable” at times by journalist Ed Aarons.
|
Semenyo vs Gyokeres – 22/23 Champ stats |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stat (per 90) |
Semenyo |
Gyokeres |
|
Non-penalty goals |
0.43 |
0.40 |
|
Assists |
0.14 |
0.22 |
|
Shot-creating actions |
1.87 |
4.27 |
|
Pass completion |
65.6 |
67.3% |
|
Progressive passes |
1.87 |
2.01 |
|
Progressive carries |
2.23 |
4.43 |
|
Successful take-ons |
1.59 |
2.15 |
|
Touches in opposition box |
6.27 |
7.16 |
|
Aerial duels won |
3.24 |
1.86 |
|
Stats via FBref |
||
Interestingly too, the pair were deemed to be similar players among their peers during the 2022/23 season in the Championship, as per FBref, with Semenyo having largely been operating in a central role at the time.
That likeness bodes well for the impact that the two-footed Ghana star can make under Amorim, with the £70m man representing the type of ready-made Premier League talent who can breathe new life into United’s misfiring attacking unit.
After years of scouring the Eredivisie, in particular, for new signings, now could well be the time to look a little closer to home…
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