2
A paltry four Premier League goals in all of last season for Rasmus Hojlund proved to Ruben Amorim that the Dane was simply not good enough to lead Manchester United on his own.
Despite the 22-year-old’s desire to stay and fight for his place, INEOS ruthlessly sidelined him, with the Denmark international heading to Napoli on loan.
It is expected that he will join them permanently given the kind of start he has enjoyed for the defending Serie A champions.
The co-owners decided to spend big to bring in Benjamin Sesko as his replacement, and the Slovenian now has back-to-back goals in the Premier League and is showing signs of being the perfect striker to play up front for the Red Devils.
Zirkzee lacks minutes
The former RB Leipzig star’s stellar form has barely earned minutes for Joshua Zirkzee, who is considering leaving in January as Serie A and top English clubs chase his signature.
It is expected that INEOS will hold talks with him to convince him to stay, while Amorim also does not want the Dutchman to leave.
But if he continues to be overlooked, the 24-year-old will look to leave once the transfer window reopens as he looks to regain his place in the Dutch squad ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
In that case, the Red Devils will look for someone as a replacement Talking sport have suggested that Ivan Toney, currently playing for Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League, could be the chosen alternative.
The Englishman has been on fire for his club, scoring eight times in ten games this season, while finding the back of the net 30 times in the previous campaign.
Toney looks at the January loan
Ivan Toney remains determined to regain his place in the England national team for the World Cup and a short-term loan makes sense.
Although there are no discussions at this stage, 20-time English league champions Tottenham Hotspur could be seen joining the race.
Current Spurs boss Thomas Frank was the 29-year-old’s manager during his time at Brentford and a reunion could be on the cards.
“What will be really interesting in the coming months is: will Thomas Tuchel definitively say to Ivan Toney: ‘Being in Saudi Arabia puts you further down the pecking order’?” Ben Jacobs said.
“And Toney’s ambition is to play in the World Cup. Plus the fact that, as the calendar falls, there is a Ramadan break and that is currently in the months of February to mid-March.”
United could strike if Zirkzee leaves
“It wouldn’t actually be a bad idea for players who want to stay sharp, go on loan for half a season and then maybe even return to Saudi Arabia. There will be interest in Ivan Toney.”
“Al Ahli sources say they don’t want to sell, there’s a brand new sporting director and he doesn’t want to let Ivan Toney go. And in terms of Premier League interest, I think we’ve heard links with Tottenham because of the Thomas Frank connection.”
“I’m not aware of any Spurs approach at the moment. Some have even mentioned Manchester United, and again I think Manchester United are counting on Benjamin Sesko and they also have Matheus Cunha who can play at number 9.
“But if Joshua Zirkzee leaves, you never know, there could be another striker at Old Trafford, but at the moment it’s all quiet when it comes to a return to the Premier League.”
An experienced back-up for Sesko would mean less pressure on the Slovenian international, but Toney’s wages would prove to be a major hurdle. And midfield appears to be the area where reinforcement is most urgently needed. INEOS does not want to lose Zirkzee either. An interesting January window awaits for United.
Feature image Yasser Bakhsh via Getty Images
The Peoples Person has been one of Man United’s most important news sites for over ten years. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social
#Ivan #Toney #emerges #surprise #target #United #star #leaves #Man #United #News #Transfer #News #Peoples #Person