Manchester United are facing a transfer market conundrum, with a £50m deal for Liam Delap highlighting how difficult it is to solve. The club have only one natural striker in their squad, and it is becoming clear they need to look at signing a back-up for Benjamin Sesko.
False nine system under pressure
Michael Carrick has used a false nine in every Premier League game so far this season. The Manchester United manager is prioritising an attacking system based on fluidity and movement, even as the old-fashioned No. 9 threatens to make a comeback.
Benjamin Sesko has only started cup games this season and could now face another spell on the sidelines after aggravating a problematic shin injury. With Sesko out, United have no alternative that can fulfil the traditional striker role.
No academy solution
United do not have an option in the academy either. Age-group sides have started to play the same system, with Amir Ibragimov impressing as a false nine. Chido Obi is the closest academy player to being a natural striker, but the 18-year-old is on loan at Willem II in the Eredivisie and has managed just 36 minutes across four games this season.
Matheus Cunha has been playing as a false nine in Sesko's absence. The Brazilian wore No. 9 for Brazil at the World Cup but is not a natural striker, preferring to link play and drop deep rather than compete with centre-backs in the penalty box.
Rising value of traditional strikers
Nottingham Forest paying a fee of up to £50m for Liam Delap shows the value of a traditional No. 9 is on the rise. Erling Haaland, Alexander Isak, Joao Pedro, Igor Thiago and Viktor Gyokeres are all Premier League examples of the trend back to more conventional strikers.
United were never in the market for a striker in the summer, even if Joshua Zirkzee had left the club. But if Sesko's fitness remains problematic, they might have to change their approach, either in January or in the 2027 summer window.
As the Delap deal shows, signing a striker now comes with a premium. The false nine era pioneered by Pep Guardiola at Barcelona meant academies gradually stopped producing old-school centre-forwards. They might be back in vogue now, but that does not mean there are enough of them to go around.
With Sesko out, Carrick will stick with his fluid front three, although there must be a temptation to try Bryan Mbeumo through the middle rather than Cunha. With no obvious solution on the academy depth chart, United might need to turn to the market again for the most in-demand position of them all.
