When Manchester United last played Nottingham Forest they had Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole up front, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer coming off the bench to score four. Teddy Sheringham did not even make the squad.
Nearly 24 years on, the state of United’s striker department can be gauged by the fact the fanbase began to get excited before kick-off when a player called Betinho suddenly appeared in their squad list on the Premier League’s website. He had been handed the No 11 shirt no less, and speculation mounted online that United had, after all, completed a transfer quickly and quietly.
But a search revealed Betinho to be a striker who, while featuring for Portugal in every age group up to the under-21s, is playing for SC Espinho in the nation’s fourth tier. He is 29. Not quite the profile for a United signing, even in these straitened times.
United staff were nonplussed and reported the erroneous entry to the Premier League. The Premier League put the blame at the door of a “technical issue”, which sounds like a euphemism for a hacker being mischievous. It took a few hours but eventually, Betinho’s name was erased, and one of the more unusual transfer stories — even for a club that generates so many — was over. The only big numbers involved were the impressions on Betinho’s Wikipedia page.
The important context is Liverpool’s signing of Cody Gakpo, a player United had been considering as a genuine target. With Gakpo heading elsewhere, the question is: who will United go for? It is something Erik ten Hag is pondering. In that light, Betinho had seemed half-appealing.
A crucial factor is why United passed on Gakpo. Essentially, they decided they could not afford him this month, especially when there remained some doubts about his suitability as a centre-forward. As recently as last week, Ten Hag and United’s recruitment staff, including football director John Murtough, looked at whether to pay the €50million (£44.2m; $53.2m) fee in the winter window, knowing it would come off the summer budget.
It seemed that decision had been taken out of United’s hands by Liverpool’s swift move, but sources insist Jurgen Klopp’s side were aware they had a free run. After weighing up whether they could dip once again into credit facilities, United made the call that January would be a month for prudence before Liverpool pressed ahead.
What that says about United’s prospective takeover is unclear, although some close to the club felt the Glazers would sanction spending if they were not going to be around to have to pick up the tab.
Ten Hag’s admiration for Gakpo is not in doubt. United’s manager pushed for the PSV Eindhoven forward during the summer window, even when scouts were unsure he could work as a centre-forward in the Premier League. Ten Hag was confident about the 23-year-old, United’s recruitment staff got comfortable with the manager’s thinking, and personal terms were agreed with the player.
However, Ajax refused to budge on the €100million fee for Antony — with negotiations going on simultaneously — and that meant no spare cash for Gakpo. It was a similar discussion again in December and at one stage, it seemed United might find the funds but they opted out once again. There is a feeling Gakpo would have joined United if they had made a move.
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The Liverpool news did not come as a surprise to Ten Hag, whose agent Kees Vos, the chief executive at SEG, also represents Gakpo. Whatever United’s process, Liverpool have got a young, exciting talent for a modest fee with minimum fuss. It follows the pattern of Luis Diaz last January — when Tottenham Hotspur made all the running over a fee with Porto only for Liverpool to steal in — and Darwin Nunez last summer — when United held initial talks but hesitated over going further.
These signings, whether successful or not, paint a picture of an assertive recruitment strategy. United’s approach so often feels passive.
Imagine if Liverpool qualify for the Champions League at United’s expense with Gakpo’s help. Those hypotheticals should not determine decision-making but the point is United’s rivals are not standing still.
Ten Hag wants to keep moving too. He is determined to add to his attack, but the options now will centre on loans. That is the message being put out from Old Trafford to intermediaries, and would rule out any dramatic domestic deal.
Aleksandar Mitrovic fits United’s requirements in many ways, but his contract at Fulham runs to 2026 so he looks off-limits. Ivan Toney has an FA charge and potential ban looming over him for an alleged breach of betting rules.
Instead, United are focused on trying to find temporary or low-cost permanent deals. This market is fraught with difficulty, however.
Last summer, as United planned contingencies for Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure, Alvaro Morata was discussed. A fee of €35million proved prohibitive, and he is now playing regularly for Atletico Madrid. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang came into conversations before his switch to Chelsea.
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Talks were held over Memphis Depay, and Barcelona may allow him to leave. Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has six months left on his Bayern Munich contract.
It is not exactly a list of names to thrill, however, and Ten Hag confirmed price is a guiding principle. “We are looking for a striker,” he said. “It has to match the sporting criteria but also the financial criteria.”
Against Forest, Ten Hag was able to start Anthony Martial at centre-forward for just the third time. It was only the second time he had been joined by Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes and Antony, which Ten Hag considers his strongest front four. On the first occasion, away to Everton in October, the quartet lasted only 29 minutes before Martial limped off.
“When we can play those front four often together, there would be more routines, more scoring threat,” Ten Hag insisted. “I am critical — we have to score more than three goals with the chances we create.”