United’s main weakness over the last few seasons has been a lack of depth in the striking department, with United having to mainly depend on two or maybe three strikers to get the goals and if one of them happened to get injured it gave Sir Alex a big problem.
United have tried many strikers over the past few years- The likes of Campbell, Rossi left for more first team opportunities elsewhere, Ebanks-Blake, Brandy, etc. couldn’t fulfill the initial promise they showed, while Saha found himself Injured more often than not.
But this season has given Sir Alex a new headache, one he’s probably enjoying. United’s strike force is young, talented and all look good enough to make it at United in the long term. Sir Alex has had to loan out 3 strikers just so that everyone has a chance at playing regularly. United currently already have 3 experienced strikers in Rooney, Owen and Berbatov from whom the youngsters can learn and gain important tips from. With such a plethora of options, Sir Alex has the unenviable job of deciding who plays and who doesn’t.
United’s young strikers are Mame Biram Diouf, Javier Hernandez, Federico Macheda, Danny Welbeck, Joshua King and Will Keane. All six are very highly rated and are set to have a very bright future in football.
While Diouf, Welbeck and King have or are set to be sent out on loan, Macheda and Hernandez have a chance at impressing in the first team. Will Keane will look to build on his brilliant performances for the Academy last season with the reserves this time round.
Joshua King is considered the most talented; the Norwegian is strong, quick off the mark and is technically sound. He seems physically ready for the championship and should make most of his chance at Preston. He can be a handful when runs at defenders with the ball, and should do well with Preston.
Mame Diouf is the oldest of the six, and also happens to be the strongest and most physically dominant too. The Senegalese international is on loan at Blackburn and scored on debut for the Rovers. Diouf is deceivingly quick for a person of his build; he has an uncanny ability to be at the right place and is very dangerous in the box. Diouf just needs to improve on his finishing, which has been a bit erratic at times.
Danny Welbeck is set to go on loan to Sunderland; Danny is very quick and technically really good. His movement off the ball is great and he can be expected to bag quite a few goals. He’s capable of playing down the wings too. Danny is very highly rated by Sir Alex and scored on his Premier League debut for United with a brilliant strike against Stoke. He’s pretty tall and has drawn comparisons to Kanu and Adebayor due to their similar styles of play.
Federico Macheda became a household name after his injury time winner against Aston Villa, after which he also became an instant fan favorite at Old Trafford. One Season later Macheda has improved a lot and is now on the fringes of the first team, not being loaned out is a sign of the trust Sir Alex has in him and he’s expected to play some role in United’s title challenge this season. Macheda best attribute is his finishing, this complimented with his great movement and awareness in the penalty box makes him an excellent goal poacher.
Javier Hernandez is the latest sensation in the red half of Manchester. His arrival after the World cup and then subsequent performances in friendlies has made him the player all fans are looking forward to see play this season. The Mexican has rightfully generated this sense of expectation after excellent displays of his goal scoring ability. Drawing comparisons to Michael Owen and United Legend Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, he has a lot to live up to and Sir Alex will be smart to use his blistering pace and excellent movement initially as an impact sub, taking advantage of tired legs in the opposition, hence allowing Javier to score some goals, building up his confidence!
With the talent at Sir Alex’s disposal, it is unlikely that there’ll be any older strikers arriving at United. The talent on display is exceptional and look set to be part of the latest generation of Fergie’s Fledging’s!!
Agree the looks bright for our strike force. If I have any dobt it think midfield is where we suffer but young Cleverley gives us another option from midfield to get goals. I am really optimistic about the new season especially if we get of to a good start and then confidence will be really high.