It’s been eight months since Cristiano Ronaldo forced his way out of Manchester United in dramatic fashion, leaving the Red Devils without a striker for the second half of the 22/23 season. Yes, Erik ten Hag managed to bring in emergency loan signing Wout Weghorst, and to be fair to the Dutch forward, his energy and fight were a breath of fresh air. Energy and fight don’t guarantee goals, however, and Weghorst’s loan spell ended without a single Premier League goal.
Marcus Rashford upped his game last season, pitching in with 17 goals and five assists in the league, but the winger can’t carry the load for the entire squad. Next in line was Bruno Fernandes with eight goals. The lack of a striker saw United finish last season with the fewest goals scored and worst goal difference in the top six. Not good enough.
United have been actively scouring the transfer market for a goalscorer this summer and have been linked with a number of attackers. The Red Devils were in for Harry Kane–and could very well return for him before the transfer window closes–and have now set their sights on Atalanta striker, Rasmus Hojlund. Atalanta are demanding €85 million for the Dane, however, and with United’s restricted budget, there’s a possibility Erik ten Hag might not sign a number nine at all this summer.
Where does that leave United? Fan backlash aside, taking on the 23/24 season without a number nine would push Erik ten Hag’s managerial prowess to the limit. Would it be the end of the world, though? Perhaps not. There are ways to get around the lack of a striker. It would require the rest of the squad to step up and step out of their comfort zone–not to mention a fair bit of patience from supporters–but it can be done.
False nine
One way to compensate for a lack of a number nine is to utilize a system that doesn’t need one. In this scenario, that means a false nine. During Ajax’s incredible 18/19 season, Erik ten Hag deployed Dusan Tadic as a false nine to great success, particularly against Bayern Munich in the Champions League group stage. Ten Hag tried this tactic against Brighton early last season, though, and while it didn’t go well, that doesn’t mean it can’t. Both Liverpool and Manchester City have had tremendous success in recent years without the benefit of a true number nine, as much as it pains me to say. With the squad as it is, playing a 4-3-3 with Bruno as the false nine could bear fruit. The Portuguese’s link-up play and eye for a pass in the final third could work well with Antony and Rashford alongside him. Furthermore, new signing Mason Mount, Christian Eriksen, and Amad Diallo could fill in as the false nine, as well, with Diallo having played as a number ten a few times while on loan at Sunderland last season. Ten Hag has even experimented with Jadon Sancho in that role, most recently against Leeds United in United’s first preseason match of the summer tour. It may take a bit of time to get the squad up to speed, but if United fail to bring in a striker this summer, because of finances or simply missing out, then a 4-3-3 that uses a false nine could be the way to go until a goalscorer can be brought in.
Rashford leads the line
Erik ten Hag may look to his top scorer last season to keep the momentum going if United don’t sign a striker this summer. Marcus Rashford’s goal return last season could be the start of something big for the English attacker and could raise United’s goal tally to levels we haven’t seen in years. Rashford played the striker role in a 4-2-3-1 several times last season and has added a striker’s goals to his repertoire in the process. In fact, 15 of Rashford’s 17 goals in the league last season came from inside the box and three were headers. For comparison, until last season, Rashford had only scored four headers in the league since his debut season. In the striker role, Rashford was immense in a Man of the Match performance in April against Spurs and grabbing a goal and an assist, he provided an assist against Everton that same month, bagged a brace against Leicester in February, and so on. When he plays off the shoulder of a defender and can find space to get on the end of through balls, Rashford is nearly unplayable. Of course, the argument can be made that, being a natural winger, he’s much better in wide areas with space to run into, but Rashford has shown that he can be relied upon in the striker role if United need to go another year without signing an out-and-out number nine.
Two up front
I know it’s not the good ole days under Sir Alex, when 4-4-2 was the rage and helped United dominate in the league and in Europe, but there are ways to deploy two attackers up top that don’t use a vintage 4-4-2 system. Against certain opposition or in those pesky Champions League away games, the extra defensive strength of a 3-5-2 can be useful. Without a striker, playing Rashford alongside someone like Diallo or Antony could work. Unless United end up selling more players, ten Hag will have an abundance of midfielders with whom he can experiment in a 3-5-2 until he finds a combination that works in different situations, too. Ten Hag’s preference for his fullbacks to invert and play a larger role in the build-up could also see him utilize his wingbacks in creative ways in a 3-5-2, as well, perhaps bringing something new to the system.
