Manchester United might have found the £46m striker they need to support Rasmus Hojlund

Tasked with becoming Manchester United's chief striker at the age of just 20, it would have been easy for Rasmus Hojlund to cower under the weight of expectation.

Signed for an initial fee of £64million last August, Hojlund was under pressure to deliver the goods. Despite having to wait until Boxing Day to score his first Premier League goal, he ended his first season at Old Trafford with a respectable tally of 16 goals to his name.

It has given the Dane a platform to build on ahead of this forthcoming season. He will both be hoping and be expected to exceed his 2023/24 tally.

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But despite United struggling to get consistent numbers out of their attackers last season, it is still too early to load more pressure on Hojlund's shoulders. He is only 21 and that is still a very young age to be responsible for leading United's attack.

It is no secret that Erik ten Hag wants to add a new centre-forward to his squad this summer to provide both support and competition for Hojlund. Anthony Martial's brittleness meant the former did not have anyone he could lean on for support last season.

United, as is so often the case, have been linked with a wealth of strikers so far this summer. Some links have been realistic and others have been so wide of the mark it is untrue.

But ongoing reports linking Bologna's Joshua Zirkzee with Old Trafford are ones that carry weight. The 23-year-old has a release clause of around £34million that has become active at the start of this month - although agent Kia Joorabchain is reportedly demanding a £12m fee - and Bologna's technical director