Do we need an experienced backup striker?

[SadlerMUFC]

Agreed. Even when we had one striker system with Ruud, we had Solskjaer, Forlan/Saha as backup; and that's with Rooney/Scholes as a second striker who could bang in 20+ goals.

In the past when we were still winning stuff, Fergie never messed up with the striker position. At one time, he still bought Berbatov while having Tevez, Rooney, and Ronaldo who could already bang in goals for fun. He had Chicarito and Rooney, but still bought RvPersie.

I am all for having Martial and Rashford as our FUTURE strikers. But can United wait until they MAY be ready to be dependable?

The "striker" position is losing it's place in the game. Who wants to be a striker when there is only one on the field? I would rather see us play a 4-4-2 for most games but switch to a 4-3-3 (or 4-5-1) when we need to be a little more defensive minded. That's how SAF did it and I truly believe he would still be doing it like that now if he were still in charge and we would have the results to show for it. Sure, we wouldn't have won this year with City reaching 100 points, but we would have been better off than we have been over the past few years...

 

[Red4Life_#7]

We definitely need another striker or attacker to score some goals. If Lukaku goes down then we are fecked. But even with Lukaku alone, its highly unlikely we will generate enough attack output to catch City.

For comparison...Raheem fecking Sterling knocked in 23 for them. We need a player who can generate mid twenties type results.

Exactly this!!! This is our problem... watching Mata yesterday shows he is not enough of an attacking threat, he is too slow and weak to get in behind force-ably. He only sneaks in with clever tap ins.
We need someone who can do something out of nothing like Bale did on the weekend. We need a RW who scores 20+ goals in a season, who is a real threat and someone who also frees up more space/creates more for Lukaku.

 

[Raoul]

Exactly this!!! This is our problem... watching Mata yesterday shows he is not enough of an attacking threat, he is too slow and weak to get in behind force-ably. He only sneaks in with clever tap ins.
We need someone who can do something out of nothing like Bale did on the weekend. We need a RW who scores 20+ goals in a season, who is a real threat and someone who also frees up more space/creates more for Lukaku.

I think Jose will recognize this in the summer as it (along with FBs) should be our top priority imo. Buying a CB is last on the list.

 

[crossy1686]

I'd say no.

My everlasting memories of ageing strikers are being thrown on in the dying minutes of CL fixtures, only to be completely ineffective and getting incredibly frustrated as we long ball our way out of the competition.

We need pace, speed kills.

 

[GiddyUp]

Vardy would outscore Lukaku if given the chance imo. Very under rated.

fecking hate Vardy with a passion and would hate to see him in a United shirt. But I support this club and cheered on Michael Owen when he signed so anything that's good for the squad I will be on board.
On Rashford, does anyone notice that he never contests a ball in the air. He does a token jump or just runs to a position where he thinks the ball will drop after a bounce. This is a big reason why I don't think he will ever be a holding forward in this league. He should concentrate on being a wide forward instead, he has everything to make that area of the pitch his own.
On Martial, this is his 3rd season down and I feel next will be his last. His consistency is a disgrace for someone who wants to play every game. Just because you have one good game in five it shouldn't guarantee the privilege of a starting spot. He has been found out and his method doesn't work anymore.
If these two young players can't adapt their game for the benefit of the team and the club then why keep them. I would be willing to give them plenty of time but if they don't take their chances when given or made look like amateurs by a Brighton defense then it's obvious they are the wrong players for the club at this moment in time.
Ferguson didn't promote youth for nothing. You have to be good enough and have some fire in the belly. You also have to have some fecking fun and be bold on the field. You have age on you're side and as an excuse to feck up every once in a while but to cut in to the center and lose possession every single attack or decide to hold on to the ball too long and be consistently indecisive then we have a problem. Both are performing like fringe league cup players and it shouldn't be tolerated. It's on themselves to do the business and to believe their own hype at their age could see them ruin very promising careers.

 

[Isotope]

I always find it strange when I read a thread like this alongside another one that complains about Mourinho letting Salah slip through his fingers.

That's Salah, the player who became a star at 25, when he'd never before scored 20 goals in a season. Then there's Raheem Sterling who's now a 20+ forward, but who'd been hitting around the 10 mark prior to this season.

If we get lucky and there's an experienced reliable striker going cheap for some reason - like Zlatan or Falcao - I'm sure we'll be interested. If there's a big star who wants us as much as we want him - I'm sure we'll be interested.

But the rest? Morata has struggled to do anything, despite playing in his favoured position, the £60m price tag and United's interest in him (as a first choice) last year, so where do you find the safe backup bets? I'm deeply suspicion of any player bought in expectation of being benched (or rotated out when a big game approaches). I don't want an expensive experiment, I'd rather see our younger players get those minutes.

Mind you, it helps that I do see Rashford as an exceptional talent who just needs the right setup (and patience) to turn into an exceptional player.

Fergie did sign Michael Owen and loan out Welbeck to Sunderland to prove himself. Said it before, Fergie always made sure that he had excellent power up front, and never relied on 'potential' or 'he's still young, give him time" type of striker as his main one. He did it for other positions.

United are gambling on Rashford and Martial to become good, and Lukaku to become top striker next year. Frankly, I wouldn't bet on it if it is my money.

The other solution for Rashford is to loan him out, and let him get those game time that he need, and to prove himself also.

 

[Isotope]

We just signed a quality, experienced forward in January...

He was, when playing for Barca about 4 yrs ago or so.

 

[Decomposing In Paris]

He was, when playing for Barca about 4 yrs ago or so.

I'm slightly confused, do you mean that he's not been a forward since he signed for Arsenal, that he's since become less experienced, or that he isn't a quality player anymore?

 

[Sing you a song]

We had four strikers because we played with two up top.

In Lukaku, Sanchez, Martial and Rashford, we have more than enough cover up top. Even if Martial leaves.

If this is the case then how come we finished almost 40 goals behind City in the prem and also scored less goals than Spurs ,Liverpool and even Arsenal

 

[Walters_19_MuFc]

If this is the case then how come we finished almost 40 goals behind City in the prem and also scored less goals than Spurs ,Liverpool and even Arsenal

Because we don't play the same attacking football as the teams you mentioned.

Spurs: Kane, Son, Llorente
City: Aguero, Jesus, Sterling
Arsenal: Aubamayeng, Lacazette, Welbeck
Liverpool: Firmino, Solanke, Ings
Man Utd: Lukaku, Rashford, Sanchez, Martial

Those are all the forwards of the teams you mentioned. Nothing superior to ours. As I said, just better attacking football.

Obviously you have your wingers/wide forwards i.e. Salah, Sterling, Mane, Son, etc, that contribute a lot to the goals, but we're talking about strikers, not wingers.

 

[Rory 7]

Are Rashford and Martial really strikers? Really?

 

[Walters_19_MuFc]

Are Rashford and Martial really strikers? Really?

They can play up top.

 

[Rory 7]

They can play up top.

Yeah but they are not really strikers. Are they?
There was a time when we had Yorke, Cole, Sheringham & Ole. Four strikers.
Once we had McClair, Hughes & Cantona.
Or how about Ronaldo, Rooney & Tevez?
Even Ruud had a young Rooney and Ole as back up.
Lukaku has...

 

[Isotope]

I'm slightly confused, do you mean that he's not been a forward since he signed for Arsenal, that he's since become less experienced, or that he isn't a quality player anymore?

Yeh. I don't see him as a striker anymore. As far as I know, it was at Barca that he played as striker. But then I didn't really follow Arsenal, so maybe he played there sometimes also.

 

[van Nistelrooy]

They can play up top.

Taibi could 'play' in goal.

Give me Jamie Vardy up top any day, please.

 

[Red4Life_#7]

I think Jose will recognize this in the summer as it (along with FBs) should be our top priority imo. Buying a CB is last on the list.

Yes... CB is the last on the list, but something has to also be done because our CB (Ex Bailly and perhaps Jones) get bullied. E.g. Smalling struggled big time with Liverpool's Dutch Defender (temporarily forgot his name), we concede too many soft goals even if we did complete the most clean sheets.

 

[Bastian]

I echo those sentiments many have about Vardy. Really should be playing at a top club. Not sure he'd be an understudy to Lukaku, Rom would have a major fight for his place.

 

[Mickfoley]

Vardy would fill the void nicely.

I hope we sign him. Lukaku can rotate with him for a couple of seasons. Competition is needed for Lukaku, not a backup.

 

[tomaldinho1]

Are Rashford and Martial really strikers? Really?

Both prefer to play as a No9 and have been shifted wide if I'm not mistaken. I'm not the biggest Lukaku fan but given our style and who is realistically available I think what we have is enough.

Striker is least of our worries: RW, CM, LB, RB all far more pressing needs.

 

[Raoul]

Yes... CB is the last on the list, but something has to also be done because our CB (Ex Bailly and perhaps Jones) get bullied. E.g. Smalling struggled big time with Liverpool's Dutch Defender (temporarily forgot his name), we concede too many soft goals even if we did complete the most clean sheets.

I don't think its a priority. The key for Jose is to have 5 interchangeable CBs who can play at any time when one or two are either injured, suspended, or otherwise unavailable.

 

[Red_toad]

No we have 4 options for striker, we play with 1 of them. Unless the numbers change then there's no need to look at that area. Our young options aren't going to get better by being put behind 'an experienced player'.

 

[Bastian]

I don't think Martial is staying, Sanchez is not a striker and Rashford needs to develop a hell of a lot more if he's to be considered capable of playing as a lone striker. We have one striker.

 

[Bulldogg]

Vardy he's English so should settle in easier and proven scorer in the league problem is he would still cost a lot...

 

[cyril C]

No. We have so many striker option, Sanchez, Rashford, Martial. If you bring in an experienced striker, does he spend time on the bench like Romeu? Or he needs to play 15 games a season, and where is Rashford or Martial' chance, if not hard enough.

Mourinho must find out a non-Lukaku solution out of Sanchez/Rashford/Martial, such that there is an alternative tactics, as well as rotation option for the squad.

 

[Swift Football]

No, we dont need a backup striker. We already have Sanchez, Martial and Rashford who can fill in as striker when needed. If Martial leaves, we need one attacker though.

 

[JMack1234]

We don't need a 30 something cluttering up the place and just look at Spurs attempts to bring in an experienced back up what a disaster that's turned out to be. If Lukaku gets an injury we should be able to play Alexis up there. Who will hopefully be more of his old self after summer.

 

[cyril C]

Agreed. Even when we had one striker system with Ruud, we had Solskjaer, Forlan/Saha as backup; and that's with Rooney/Scholes as a second striker who could bang in 20+ goals.

In the past when we were still winning stuff, Fergie never messed up with the striker position. At one time, he still bought Berbatov while having Tevez, Rooney, and Ronaldo who could already bang in goals for fun. He had Chicarito and Rooney, but still bought RvPersie.

I am all for having Martial and Rashford as our FUTURE strikers. But can United wait until they MAY be ready to be dependable?

What happens to Sanchez?

I think we let Tevez go when we bought Berbatov, didn't we? Hernandez was loan out 1 season after RVP on board, right? Can't you see the problem that no seasoned striker would like to spend the entire season on bench, do you remember Dzeko in City who wasn't happy back then? Only 30+ striker or young striker won't mind, but nowadays even a 19 years old player say he needs game time... Hernandez was an exception but then even he said enough was enough.

 

[Decomposing In Paris]

Yeh. I don't see him as a striker anymore. As far as I know, it was at Barca that he played as striker. But then I didn't really follow Arsenal, so maybe he played there sometimes also.

Okay, he was a foil for Messi at Barca, often coming from the right, and usually in competition with Pedro for a starting spot. He played as a forward for Arsenal and Udinese as well. Obviously not a traditional English #9, but a forward none the less. Pep remarked just last season how he had probably not gotten the best from Sanchez by playing him wide, and in such a disciplined role. One of our biggest problems since signing him is that we haven't been able to get him close enough to the opposition's goal (same could be said of Martial, even Pogba)... a fullback who is physically powerful, and has good delivery from his left foot could have a massive impact.

 

[padzilla]

The problem we have is that Rashford, Martial and Sanchez are all used as wingers when they should be playing as strikers. If anything we need actual wingers so those players can play in their actual positions. We have a starting 11 with about five players playing out of their natural positions like Valencia, Young, Sanchez, Rashford and Martial. Mata is a number 10 and is often played as a winger. Then people wonder why we are not close to challenging for the league...

 

[Nytram Shakes]

I want to say no, that Rashford can do the job, but it's looking like what a lot of us feared would happen when Mourinho and Ibrahimovic came in, that sporadic playing time and playing out wide has stunted and even caused regression.
So it might be a case that we do need look for a second striker. But I don't think that's a job for this summer we have other priorities.

 

[Fer]

We could even play 352 with proper signings.

Sanchez and Lukaku up front with a new No.10 behind (Dybala/Eriksen/Fekir/...). Martial and Rashford to cover our forwards, Mata/Lingard to cover our No.10.

If we sign wingbacks like Sessegnon and Adama Traore, we could have the width that we are lacking right now.

However, I think we would continue playing 433... and we are going for players like Savic and William to improve our midfield and attack.

 

[Ashley R1+O]

Martial and Rashford will each one have to take one for the team. Both can be backup at CF and both backup at LWF. It would have been great to have an experienced backup striker coming off the bench, you know..... like Javier Hernandez?........

 

[Deechii]

if we don't buy a real class RW then yes, otherwise Sanches can do it as striker with Rashford or Martial (if not sold) and the new boy on the flanks.

 

[Decomposing In Paris]

I want to say no, that Rashford can do the job, but it's looking like what a lot of us feared would happen when Mourinho and Ibrahimovic came in, that sporadic playing time and playing out wide has stunted and even caused regression.
So it might be a case that we do need look for a second striker. But I don't think that's a job for this summer we have other priorities.

It's not Mourinho's, and it certainly isn't Ibrahimovic's fault that Rashford isn't yet consistently good enough to be guaranteed his starting spot in a team expected to challenge for every competition it enters. Playing him wide has meant that he's still playing plenty of football. If we hadn't signed Ibrahimovic we probably wouldn't have been in the Champions League this season, and Mourinho mightn't be in the job. I want Rashford to be able to do the job too, but at Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern... he'd be a squad player. There's no shame when Dembele, Asensio or Coman don't start... the manager isn't ruining their careers, and there's certainly not the same level of fear that they are stagnating. I don't see why it needs to be different for us. Rashford is 20, and if that's too later to add the skillset to start on the right (where his pace and ability to whip in a ball should be at their most effective, and where he would start) then we have other problems.

 

[BusbyMalone]

Yeh. I don't see him as a striker anymore. As far as I know, it was at Barca that he played as striker. But then I didn't really follow Arsenal, so maybe he played there sometimes also.

He played many games as a centre forward for Arsenal and actually got a good record in that position. Scored nearly 20 goals one season in that position.

 

[James Peril]

We already have the designated backup in Lukaku, we just have to buy a better first option. He can come in when we need to send long balls into the box and score a few headers.

 

[11101]

I don't think you needed to put the 'experienced' in there. We need a backup striker of any sort. Rashford doesnt have the killer instinct, Martial who knows, and the list ends there. In all of our most successful seasons we have had at least two players scoring a significant number of goals.

Cantona - Kanchelskis - Cole - Hughes
Yorke - Cole - Solksjaer - Sheringham
Ronaldo - Rooney - Tevez
Rooney - RVP
etc

Lukaku has scored more than double the goals of anyone else in this team, with a fairly average return. The only time we have had a similar disparity in the PL is during the comparatively unsuccessful RVN years.

 

[BusbyMalone]

That's the least of our concerns. Our priorities are elsewhere. We desperately need two new full backs, a midfielder and a right sided attacker. If Lukaku is out we have Sanchez who should be able to cover that position more than adequately.

 

[Nytram Shakes]

It's not Mourinho's, and it certainly isn't Ibrahimovic's fault that Rashford isn't yet consistently good enough to be guaranteed his starting spot in a team expected to challenge for every competition it enters. Playing him wide has meant that he's still playing plenty of football. If we hadn't signed Ibrahimovic we probably wouldn't have been in the Champions League this season, and Mourinho mightn't be in the job. I want Rashford to be able to do the job too, but at Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern... he'd be a squad player. There's no shame when Dembele, Asensio or Coman don't start... the manager isn't ruining their careers, and there's certainly not the same level of fear that they are stagnating. I don't see why it needs to be different for us. Rashford is 20, and if that's too later to add the skillset to start on the right (where his pace and ability to whip in a ball should be at their most effective, and where he would start) then we have other problems.

well their have been concerns about Dembele and questions over Asensio position.
bottom line is we have heard that argument for two years, and we have seen the lack of progress in Rashford, players get better with regular playing time. If we want Rashford to be a decent strker we need him to get game time thier, players don't magically get to an age and be ready to play.

I suspect however we will be having this debate for another few years, with fans saying he doesn't need to play its fine, then it will switch to well he just wasn't good enough and he will leave.

 

[Sing you a song]

No we have 4 options for striker, we play with 1 of them. Unless the numbers change then there's no need to look at that area. Our young options aren't going to get better by being put behind 'an experienced player'.

The numbers will change as Martial will be out and our other young option looks nowhere near a 20 goal a season man .
Lots of talk of needing a CB but our defensive record even with 2 poor full backs is good We have lots of options in the middle of the back 4 none are world beaters but all better than adequate.
It isn’t goals against that left us so far behind City it was the goals for column where we were woefully short .Lukaku well behind Kane ,Aguero and Salah and a poor return generally from midfield this season and if that is the case again next time then another season of disappointment awaits us