Manchester United have perfect £13m solution to Cristiano Ronaldo problem

Manchester United are in need of striking reinforcements in the summer. Anthony Martial's time at Old Trafford looks likely to be over and Edinson Cavani is leaving on a free transfer; this leaves Cristiano Ronaldo as the club's only recognised out-and-out striker.

But this presents an interesting problem for United in the transfer market. The club want to sign a young striker who can grow and be part of Erik ten Hag's long-term project, but also happy playing second fiddle to Ronaldo for at least a year.

Given that United need a full-scale rebuild under Ten Hag, so finding a cost-effective option to allow the club's transfer budget to be spent on other areas might be the best idea for this window. And one potential target that fulfils all of these requirements is Stade Reims striker Hugo Ekitike.

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At 19 years old, Ekitike could be the perfect solution and some outlets have reported that he could be available for as little as £12.9m in the summer. The young striker has nine goals and three assists in 21 games this season for Reims and was a target for Newcastle United in the January window.

In terms of his playstyle, there have been surface-level comparisons made between Ekitike and Anthony Martial, as a relatively unknown French striker with a reasonable goal tally for his age. The player can also play through the middle and on the left wing.

Like Martial, he enjoys the ball at his feet and dribbles with it often and also is adept at creating space. Under Ten Hag, however, he will have to improve his in-the-box presence - one of the major traits that the Dutchman asks from his strikers.

Ronaldo has thrived towards the back-end of the