Manchester United's nightmare streak on the transfer front has been illuminated in all its horrific glory this season.
Rasmus Hojlund hasn't exactly been a poor signing. The Norwegian does have five Champions League goals to show for his efforts but the lack of a goal in the Premier League is hugely concerning.
What makes matters worse is that no forward in United's ranks has scored more than two league goals all campaign. Scott McTominay is their top scorer with five league strikes for context.
As a result, signing some additional firepower in the January window should be of utmost importance.
Man United's January striker hunt
Well, if you thought we might have some positive news for you, think again. Will United sign an exciting new striker in January? Possibly. Stuttgart sensation Serhou Guirassy has been linked.
However, in more recent days some questionable targets have emerged. Mauro Icardi – scorer of a goal in Europe against the Red Devils this term – is an alleged name the club could sign on loan.
Another option is Sevilla's bullish forward Youssef En-Nesyri. That's according to reports from The Sun who suggest that with Guirassy unappealed by the project in Manchester, they have turned their attention to the Moroccan instead.
Under contract until 2025, it's thought a bargain fee of £16m could be enough to see him move to England. Unfortunately, this could be another disastrous repeat of the Wout Weghorst deal last January.
Wout Weghorst's record at Man United
After Cristiano Ronaldo departed the Theatre of Dreams last winter for Saudi Arabia, a replacement was needed.
Did Erik ten Hag splash the cash on a fancy new recruit? Far from it. Burnley striker Weghorst arrived on a short-term loan deal until the end of the season.
Unsurprisingly this didn't go according to plan at all. The Dutchman failed to score in 17 Premier League outings for the Red Devils and only found the net twice in all competitions.
Weghorst can't be accused of a lack of trying but the fact of the matter is he wasn't of the quality needed to thrive as a striker in a club like United.
It led to a vast amount of criticism, notably from his fellow countryman Ruud Gullit who stated that the tall forward simply was "not good enough."
So why would En-Nesyri be good enough? Well, the issue is he probably wouldn't be.
Youssef En-Nesyri's goal record
Like the aforementioned Icardi, En-Nesyri has found the net against United in Europe in recent times.
When Ten Hag's men took on Sevilla in the Europa League, he scored twice in the second leg of their quarter-final clash, notably cashing in on a "horror show" from United and former goalkeeper David De Gea.
The Morocco star was actually rather prolific last term, scoring 18 goals in all competitions but his record beyond that is hardly much to shout about.
Nine goals have followed this term but he has largely been met with bouts of inconsistency throughout his career. Indeed, the 26-year-old bagged just five times in 29 outings for the Spanish side in 2021/22.
Worryingly, he also ranks rather poorly in some important metrics. Compared to positionally similar players in Europe's top five leagues, as per FBRef, En-Nesyri sits inside the worst 1% for shot-creating actions, passes attempted and progressive passes
The 6 foot 2 attacker also ranks in the worst 5% for successful take-ons and worst 12% for progressive carries. He is in the top 25% for aerials won which only goes to showcase the similarities between him and Weghorst.
If Ten Hag has ambitions of keeping his job and taking United back to the top level, this is simply a signing they should avoid at all costs.
