Manchester United's strikers haven't quite found their shooting boots so far this season, young Rasmus Højlund United's sharpest shooter so far in attack with only three goals to his name after a summer move from Atalanta in Italy.
The midfield have stepped up where the strikers have been lacking, Casemiro surprisingly the Red Devils' top scorer overall this campaign with four strikes whilst the likes of Scott McTominay and Bruno Fernandes are tied with Højlund in the charts on three goals each.
Lacking a feared striker that was a staple of Man United teams from the past – figures such as Robin van Persie, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney devastatingly effective when needed in attack – the main focus in the January transfer window could be swooping in for a dangerous forward player who can score a crucial goal in the blink of an eye to reinstate a clinical goalscorer to the side.
Napoli's talismanic figure Victor Oshimen has been linked with a move to the Red Devils in the past, but the Nigerian striker's potentially hefty price tag could halt that move from ever getting off the ground.
This could lead Man United down an alternative avenue for fresh personnel as a result, ten Hag's men linked instead to Stuttgart's break-out talent Serhou Guirassy who is continuing to take the Bundesliga by storm.
Man United's interest in Guirassy
According to reports in Spain, via TEAMtalk, at the back end of September, the Red Devils are interested in the Guinean attacker off the back of his goal-laden past few months, joining the lengthy queue of clubs expected to fight it out for Stuttgart's star man when the transfer window re-opens in January.
Stern competition in the form of Premier League rivals Chelsea and Liverpool is expected for Guirassy's services, the 27-year-old in high demand after a lethal start with Stuttgart this season after only joining the club permanently this summer after a successful loan spell from Rennes.
Expected to be available at a far cheaper asking price than Osimhen – who reportedly boasts an asking price of £150m – it'll be intriguing to see where Guirassy ends up following the conclusion of the transfer window and whether or not he's pulling on the Red Devils strip to give Erik Ten Hag's men some much-needed firepower next year.
If his Bundesliga statistics are anything to go by so far this campaign, Guirassy is a naturally lethal goalscorer ready for the demands of the Premier League.
Guirassy's numbers this season
Cited as a "machine" by football presenter Salim Baungally after scoring a ludicrous ten goals from his opening five games of the new Bundesliga season, Guirassy is currently outscoring Manchester City machine Erling Haaland for the German club – netting a ridiculous 14 goals in the division overall, from just eight matches.
#1 Harry Kane
15
#2 Serhou Guirassy
14
#3 Lautaro Martinez
12
#4 Erling Haaland
11
#5 Jude Bellingham
10
#6 Kylian Mbappe
10
Stats via WhoScored.
Incredibly, the one-time Lille striker is being pipped to the golden boot currently by Harry Kane, the former Spurs man notching up 15 goals already for Bayern Munich.
Guirassy's importance to his side has been exemplified in the last two contests he's missed owing to a hamstring injury, Stuttgart losing both games to top-flight opponents Hoffenheim and Heidenheim narrowly when their star number nine has been absent.
Averaging 1.07 non-penalty goals per 90 over the last year according to FBRef, that is remarkably clear of the aforementioned Osimhen who boasts 0.75 non-penalty goals per 90 in the last 365 days. Having scored 31 goals in 39 outings for Napoli last term, he is a real monster in the penalty area but his efforts in 2023/24 are below that of Guirassy, netting six in ten. Impressive, but not quite as good as his cheaper alternative.
Man United will hope they can land the clinical 6 foot 2 attacker this January on a reasonable deal in the wake of other suitors scrambling to secure the Guinea international.
If so, the Dutch head coach would have a talismanic striker up top who could potentially decide games on a knife's edge and steer Man United to wins where they might have otherwise fallen short.
