Manchester United saw this striker situation coming in the transfer window

"How many strikers are there?" protested a senior figure at Manchester United. That was in May.

United saw this coming as far back as last season. They were wary that several clubs were interested in Liam Delap and that he could be swayed by Champions League football. He was.

Viktor Gyokeres went viral in that competition with four goals against Manchester City and was always likely to stay in it. He will with Arsenal, and suddenly the number of out-and-out attainable stellar strikers is scant.

Another, Victor Osimhen, is pricing himself out of a move to an elite league. If Alexander Isak goes, it will not be to United. Harry Kane isn't going anywhere. Erling Haaland is the (blue) moon to United.

Haaland and Kane are cause for great regret. United missed out on the former in December 2019 and did not have the nerve to go for the latter two years ago. Since Haaland moved to Borussia Dortmund, the only reputable strikers United have bought were Edinson Cavani and Cristiano Ronaldo, aged 33 and 36 at the time of their arrivals. Each only cut it for one season.

Now United are at risk of settling for potential when they require a proven commodity. Hugo Ekitike, of Eintracht Frankfurt, is hardly a spring chicken - he is older than Rasmus Hojlund - but not the ideal profile and seemingly bound for Newcastle United anyway.

United have still not concluded a deal for the Premier League's joint-fourth highest scorer last season, Bryan Mbeumo. Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha claimed 35 league goals between them last season but woe betide United if they rewrite the script and attempt to rebrand either of them as a specialist striker.

Perhaps it should be a task for anyone who applies for the new director of communications role United have