Man Utd have a future Haaland but need a Benzema now

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 19 Jan 2024 12:01 GMT
• 3 min read

Manchester United’s season can only be salvaged with the addition of a striker to help Rasmus Hojlund during the transfer window.

This is hardly news to Man Utd fans. The Red Devils have the worst attack in the top half of the Premier League, with Hojlund only scoring two goals in the competition since the start of the season.

Denmark star Hojlund is simply not good enough to carry United’s attack at present – but don’t mistake that statement for a suggestion that the €74 million summer arrival from Atalanta was a poor signing. Given time, he can become one of the best centre-forwards in the Premier League, but he is not at that stage yet.

Indeed, he is only the 15th-best centre-forward in the division according to data analytics experts SciSports, when No.9s who have started more than 70% of matches this season are taken into account.

Put into context, there are only 24 players who fit these criteria, so Hojlund is ranked below average by the analytics specialists.

Perhaps most concerning for Man Utd is just how much he is currently below average.

Hojlund has a SciSkill rating of 87.1.

Manchester City’s Erling Haaland is the leader in this category at 142.3 followed by Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus at 133.5. It’s clear that Erik ten Hag’s No.9 is not yet anywhere near this level yet.

There is a gulf beyond this superstar pair to Son Heung-min, Julian Alvarez and Ollie Watkins, who all score around the 115 mark. Hojlund is improving but is still significantly behind these players.

If United are to solve their goalscoring problems, they need someone of that type of standard for the next six to 18 months. The aforementioned trio all have Estimated Transfer Values (ETV) of between €40-50 million, meaning a substantial investment or a smart loan is required.

Karim Benzema, who was operating around a level of around 114 before his shock summer move to the Saudi Pro League, might have been an option on loan. United, though, never really seemed seriously interested and now it appears the striker is staying put, despite claims he is unhappy at Al-Ittihad.

Hojlund an elite option for the future

Hojlund, meanwhile, should not be written off amidst all this. The 20-year-old possess the potential to become better than Son and Watkins.

SciSports give the Dane a ceiling of 117.4, bit this has been revised steadily upwards this season.

Only Haaland (165.4), Jesus (142) and Alvarez (132.3) have more potential among his Premier League peers.

On one hand, then, Man Utd require patience to get the best out of their existing option, but haste to find an immediate solution to their lack of goals.