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Since the summer of 2023, Manchester United have dished out roughly £174.5m on three new centre-forwards, having plumped for youth by bringing in Rasmus Hojlund, Joshua Zirkzee and Benjamin Sesko in successive summers.

The result? Well, that costly trio have since scored just 20 Premier League goals between them across the last two-and-a-half years, with United seemingly repeating their approach in the market, yet expecting a different result.

Turning to relatively unproven young strikers has been the theme of recent times at Old Trafford, representing a clear shift away from a more short-term approach that saw the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani and Cristiano Ronaldo parachuted in to lead the line.

That trend also came amid the search for more left-field, stop-gap striker signings in the mould of Wout Weghorst and Odion Ighalo, with it looking as if the INEOS regime could repeat the trick with their own wildcard move in 2026.

Man Utd discussing personal terms for the new Ighalo

For so long has the lack of a consistent, world-class number nine plagued the Red Devils, with Robin van Persie still the last player to have scored 20 league goals for the club in a single season.

Man Utd’s top PL scorers by season

Season

Top scorer

24/25

Fernandes & Amad – 8

23/24

Fernandes & Hojlund – 10

22/23

Marcus Rashford – 17

21/22

Cristiano Ronaldo – 18

20/21

Bruno Fernandes – 18

19/20

Rashford & Martial – 17

18/19

Paul Pogba – 13

17/18

Romelu Lukaku – 16

16/17

Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 17

15/16

Anthony Martial – 11

14/15

Wayne Rooney – 12

13/14

Wayne Rooney – 17

12/13

Robin van Persie – 26

Stats via WhoScored

Things might have been different had Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Erling Haaland recommendation not been ignored, with the treble winner having also chased his compatriot during his first full season at the club in 2019/20.

As it proved, the Norwegian machine joined Borussia Dortmund ahead of the 2020 January window, with United left scrambling on deadline day, acquiring boyhood fan Odion Ighalo on an initial loan deal from Chinese outfit, Shanghai Shenhua.

That was certainly not a deal that would have been anticipated in advance, with the same perhaps true regarding Auxerre marksman, Lassine Sinayoko, amid reports that INEOS are pushing ahead with a move for the Ligue 1 star.

Indeed, as per Africa Foot, United are discussing personal terms with the 26-year-old, with the two parties believed to be coming close to finalising a €3m (£2m) salary agreement.

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The suggestion is that Ruben Amorim’s side want to secure a deal next month, prior to Sinayoko joining on a free transfer next summer.

Why United could be targeting their new Ighalo

Whether Sinayoko does arrive in January or at the end of the season, he could represent the wildcard addition that Amorim is in need of, not least with the aforementioned Sesko having scored just twice since his summer switch from RB Leipzig.

The Auxerre hitman may not be a glamour, household name, although the example of Ighalo showcases that a left-field swoop can bear fruit, with the experienced Nigerian making a solid impact in his new surroundings in Manchester.

Indeed, the former Watford star ultimately scored five times in his first six months at Old Trafford, namely netting a stunning juggling effort away at LASK Linz in the Europa League.

His stay was certainly brief, and hardly prolific, but Ighalo proved to be a useful tool under Solskjaer, not least as United went deep in both the FA Cup and Europa League.

Like in the case of the 2020 arrival, there is a real joy in seeing something of an unsung talent begin to blossom at United, with the club having far too often been stung by pursuing the high-profile, expensive deals instead.

Should Sinayoko arrive on a free transfer, he might well fit into the Ighalo category, having been a solid, albeit unspectacular performer during his stint in France.

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Currently on AFCON duty with Mali, the 6 foot 1 forward has scored six times this season in Ligue 1, after previously registering 14 goals and assists in France’s top-flight last term.

While not prolific himself, he would – like Ighalo – provide United with a real focal point in attack, with his physical prowess seen in how he ranks in the top 2% of strikers in Europe’s top five leagues for interceptions per 90, as per FBref, as well as in the top 8% for tackles made.

Equally, like Ighalo – who scored 16 times in 37 games for Nigeria – Sinayoko has proven his quality on the international stage, with his two recent strikes at this year’s AFCON ensuring he now boasts nine goals in 27 games for his country.

With Sesko struggling and Zirkzee seemingly on his way to Roma, United are certainly in need of at least one striker heading into 2026, ensuring a bargain swoop for a figure like Sinayoko could be just what is needed.

As Ighalo did before him, he might well just surprise a few.

Related Upgrade on Mount: INEOS make “world-class” star Man Utd's “No.1 target”

Manchester United’s current midfield crop could be under threat if new additions arrive in 2026.

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In signing two uncapped players for a joint-record INR 14.2 crore each at the IPL 2026 player auction, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have marked an unambiguous breakaway from the “experience-first” philosophy that had defined them through the first 18 seasons of the tournament. Reflecting on these signings, head coach Stephen Fleming has conceded that CSK may have been “a little bit slow” to keep up with the evolution of the T20 format.The shift in thinking, he said, began during IPL 2025, when Dewald Brevis and the uncapped pair of Ayush Mhatre and Urvil Patel, all signed midway through the season, brought a belated sense of adventure to a top order that had struggled to keep pace with other IPL teams. CSK finished the season in last place but with lessons they took into Tuesday’s auction in Abu Dhabi, signing Prashant Veer, 20, and Kartik Sharma, 19, for a combined INR 28.4 crore.Related

• Fleming: Mhatre has 'everything that we like about a modern-day T20 player'

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“As the game has evolved, we might have been a little bit slow to evolve with it,” Fleming said. “Only halfway through the [2025] tournament we had a big shift and you saw with the players we got in as reserves, there was a shift in what we needed to do.”Sometimes you can hang on to theories and philosophies because of past success but we identified that we needed to shift and partly the work that we did last season halfway through has enabled us to continue that work done.”Mhatre, Urvil, Veer and Kartik represent a new generation of players who have grown up training to meet T20’s demands, and are as likely to catch IPL scouts’ eyes in local T20 leagues as they are to come through the traditional route of age-group and domestic cricket. Fleming said these “T20 babies” played in a way that was all about expressing their skills, where earlier generations may have second-guessed themselves looking to assess the match situation.”I just wonder if we’re now seeing the product of T20 coming to the fore,” Fleming said. “We witnessed at the start of last year, and certainly the year before that my view used to be that experience was going to win, but now you have this fearless athlete that’s been brought up on T20 cricket and has a skillset that’s mouthwatering, and they just have no fear about what environment they need to exhibit these skills.2:42

Fleming on Samson’s trade and CSK’s succession planning

“So that is one thing to acknowledge, that T20 babies are now coming through. And it’s just that mental aspect. Sometimes an experienced player can get caught up in himself, trying to work out where the game’s going and what’s going on. But these young players these days, they’re just very free and they only know one way.”So there’s real appeal, especially when the game is being played faster and faster. I think it’s a byproduct of T20 being around for some time now and we’re all learning, being involved with it, and the faster it gets, these young players seem to play better.”

‘Succession planning’ behind Samson-Jadeja trade

CSK departed from the past in another way before the auction, when they traded franchise legend Ravindra Jadeja, who had played 200 games in the team’s yellow, to Rajasthan Royals to secure the services of India keeper-batter Sanju Samson. Fleming suggested that Samson’s acquisition was made with one eye on shoring up CSK’s top order, and another on the fact that the talismanic MS Dhoni is now 44 and nearing the end of his career.”The opportunity was there,” Fleming said. “We felt we were still a little bit light in our opening batting. And we were also looking at [the fact that] at some point MS will move on.”Sanju is an international-quality player and he fills that role very well, so succession planning. And just opportunity really, just again looking at refreshing and seeing what Chennai will look like in six years’ time, not two years’ time. And just making sure that there’s a succession [plan] around the players we are introducing.”

Zaheer Khan: “The break was critical for me. I bowled a lot during the England tour and I needed that break and it has gone well for me” © Getty Images

Zaheer Khan, who missed the ICC World Twenty20, says he has recovered from a bruised ankle and is looking forward to the one-day series against Australia.”The break was critical for me. I bowled a lot during the England tour and I needed that break and it has gone well for me, ” Zaheer said.The series begins on Saturday and Australia have come without players like Michael Hussey and Shaun Tait but Zaheer said their absence did not concern the Indians. “We have to focus on our strengths and it depends on how we perform,” he said. “We have done well and should continue to do well.”Zaheer also expressed confidence about performing on the flat and unresponsive Indian tracks. “A bowler always stands a chance to earn wickets in any conditions and in any format of the game,” he said. “We still have to bowl well and on any track you have to give your best.”Robin Uthappa, a member of India’s Twenty20 squad, appeared bullish about the series ahead and said the pressure was on Australia. “We will fight fire with fire,” Uthappa said. “The pressure is not on us; we have done exceedingly well and we are raring to go.”Uthappa said he was amazed by the grand welcome accorded to the Indian team in Mumbai yesterday. “I have not seen anybody getting such a welcome,” he said. “It was nice to see people from all parts of the country joining together to welcome us. That made us realise how much the game meant to them and how emotional that win was. There were people of all age groups, and people were waving and blowing kisses from windows and balconies, I will cherish that forever.”

Andrew Flintoff claims England saw the match against Australia in isolation© Getty Images

Andrew Flintoff has unsurprisingly brushed off suggestions England will now be under more pressure going into next month’s Ashes series after losing to Australia in the Champions Trophy on Saturday.England’s chances of qualifying for the semi-finals virtually ended on Saturday when they crashed to a six-wicket defeat, their second successive loss. They will now clash with West Indies in their last league game at Ahmedabad on October 28.”We took this match in isolation,” he said, “as a must-win game for both the sides to stay in the tournament.” Regardless of Flintoff’s attempts to play down defeat – “In the build-up people were trying to link it to the Ashes,” he said, “but the Ashes start when we go to Australia” – the Australians will be boosted greatly by their victory in India.Flintoff did concede his young side needed to improve considerably if they wanted to give a good account of themselves in coming months. “It is an exciting time in one-day cricket. But we need to improve,” said Flintoff. “It is a young side. We have to step up as a team if we have the aspirations of doing well later in this winter.”

Rudi Koertzen refers another one upstairs © Getty Images

A number of those involved in the Super Test at Sydney have voiced their opinions about the increased use of referrals to the third umpire – and while a few welcomed the innovation, the overall view seemed to be that either it needed more work or things should be left alone.Rudi Koertzen, the South African umpire, was one who made it clear he was against the extended use of referrals to the third umpire for catches and leg-before decisions.”We all make mistakes and I think the players actually make more mistakes than the umpires do,” Koertzen said. “So they should leave it up to us to make the mistakes. We’ve got to live with that. That [Super Series] is only a trial. Who knows how far they’re going to take it? Hopefully not too far.”Simon Taufel, Koertzen’s colleague at the SCG, was in agreement. “For us as umpires, it’s all a little bit disconcerting,” he said. “There’s an extra decision-making process, working out whether we use the third umpire or not. A lot of stoppages have harmed the momentum. It’s nice to have it but I’m just trying to umpire normally as though the technology isn’t there. If I’ve got no idea about what took place, the help is obviously there but …”We’ll have a de-brief at the end of the series and see how it’s worked out. It’s only on trial. There is also the belief that increasing the technology will breed mediocrity among officials, where they take the soft option.”Perhaps the biggest fan turned out to be Ricky Ponting. “I think we are going to have to use it more before we get a really good idea on it,” he said. “When you are trialing the technology the way that we have here I think that you are expecting every decision to be perfect just because you are using technology and I think the way the game is and the subtleties in some dismissals can be very hard to pick up and determine, so that’s still going to be the case even though we are using this technology. I’ve been pretty impressed with the way it’s worked during the one-day series and certainly in this Test match.”Graeme Smith, the World XI skipper, was less impressed. “It’s another thing that needs to be looked at and fine-tuned. I think there’s so much doubt on the television for us. We look at things that we thought were out and it was given not out or we thought was not out and it was given out. You try to take the human element out of the umpires, but you are still giving it to the third umpire so I think there’s a lot of things that need to be looked at with the technology, I think it’s a long way from being at a level where it can be used.”And Glenn McGrath was even more against an extension of the trial. “I think it’s shown already that you are still going to make mistakes using it,” he told a Sydney radio station. “I would prefer to keep it the way it is. Just use it for the stumpings and run outs, the things that I think are clear-cut. It is a funny one. We’ve watched decisions in the rooms and we’re divided in the rooms. If the guys who have played the game can’t make a decision by what the evidence shows on TV, it’s going to be tough for the third umpire.”All the feedback will be assessed by the ICC. Malcolm Speed, its chief executive, was non-committal. “We will take a cautious approach with it,” he said. “It was a good opportunity for us to trial it here. We’ve taken that opportunity. We’ll see where we go from there.”Referrals during the Super Test

Run outs / stumpings – 5

Catches and lbw decisions – 11

Boundary decisions – 5

Average delay: 60 seconds

Northern Districts 185 for 7 (Orchard 53, Canning 4-33) v Auckland
ScorecardNew Zealand’s first-class season got off to a wet and subdued start after a southerly blast traversed the country over the weekend. The State Championship match between Northern Districts and Auckland only started at 2pm, but fine weather at Hamilton later in the day enabled the players to continue till well past the scheduled close, with Northern Districts scoring 185 for 7 in 70 overs.Auckland won the toss and chose to field. Northern Districts have revamped their line-up this year with the infusion of some new blood, but the batsmen who opened their innings were two of their more experienced players, and they got the team off to a fine start. James Marshall, who has taken over as captain after the retirement of Robbie Hart, and Nick Horsley put on 58 for the first wicket in nearly an hour before Marshall (25) became the first of Tama Canning’s four victims during the day.Horsley fell for 38 when the score was on 74. Mark Orchard and Matthew Hart were just getting into their stride when Hart was caught by Richard Jones for 16 to become Canning’s second wicket.Orchard batted for 200 minutes in scoring his 53 runs but he too eventually succumbed to Canning, who showed impressive touch in the season-opener. His 24 overs cost only 33 runs and fetched him four wickets. None of the batsmen were able to get on top of him. Aaron Barnes, a medium pacer, played a fine support act, taking 1 for 27 off 16 overs.Two other matches will start tomorrow – Canterbury will take on Wellington in Christchurch, while Otago and Central Districts will play in Queenstown.

England should concentrate on winning the World Cup in 2007, rather than worry about the next Ashes series, according to Rodney Marsh.Marsh, the Australian wicketkeeping legend-turned-England cricket selector, made his point after naming a provisional 15-man squad for England’s cricket academy. Marsh, who heads the academy, said that the team was selected with the accent on one-day cricket.In his opinion, a drawn Ashes series in 2005 would be a good platform from which England could build towards 2007. He was perhaps mindful of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s mission statement, which aims to establish England as the game’s premier Test and one-day power by 2007.Australia have won eight consecutive Ashes series since regaining the urn in 1989.

A timely captain’s century by Northern Districts’ Robbie Hart revived his side’s fortunes against Otago in the State Championship match at Carisbrook in Dunedin today.Hart’s century, the second of his 71-match first-class career, made a mockery of the collapses that affected both sides in the match, and he commented afterwards that it had been a great thrill to complete the achievement, especially under the circumstances he found himself in.The drama started for ND when David Sewell had Mark Bailey and Scott Styris out from consecutive balls after only one run had been added to the overnight score of 69/1, which was 146 runs short of Otago’s first innings total.The Marshall twins, James and Hamish were then at the crease with Hamish avoiding the hat-trick and they added another 40 runs before the mini-collapse when four wickets fell for 13 runs, leaving Hart batting with the tail in a bid to restore some respectability to the situation.They were 123/7 when he and Graham Aldridge set about a stand that finally provided 64 runs for the ND cause.But when Aldridge was out, Bruce Martin had a record-breaking 96-run ninth-wicket stand for ND against Otago. They rubbed out the 85 scored by Brendon Bracewell and Peter Neutze at Gisborne’s Harry Barker Reserve in 1989/90.Martin scored 45 runs and when he was out debut player Ian Butler helped Hart add 20 runs for the last wicket. Hart was on 91 when Butler joined him and Butler scored nine in which time Hart reached 102 not out, scored from 157 minutes and in 205 minutes.ND had the first innings points and a lead of 88 runs. Interestingly, even freakishly, the only two Otago bowlers to take wickets, Sewell and Evan Marshall, both took five wickets for 79 runs, the both bowled four maidens and Sewell bowled 27 overs and Marshall 26.Brendon McCullum gave Otago another good start when attacking to score 41 from 37 balls and in an opening stand of 63, Otago was well on the way to wiping out the deficit.However, an untimely loss of three wickets for five runs just before stumps saw Otago slump to 100/4, a lead of only 12 runs with six wickets left. Key batsmen Chris Gaffaney and Andrew Hore were out for 0 and four respectively, leaving Craig Cumming needing to find a solid partner to try and build a solid position for Otago to put the pressure back on ND.Styris did the damage for ND by claiming two wickets for four runs from six overs. His first victim was Robbie Lawson who was caught behind for 37 and then he trapped Gaffaney leg before wicket.

India fast bowler Varun Aaron has urged young campus cricketers, competing in the Red Bull Campus Cricket World finals in Dehradun, to believe in their abilities and remain focused, in order to realise their dreams of making the senior-national squad in the future.The 25-year-old has struggled with injuries in his short career thus far. He has 35 Twenty20 wickets from 38 matches at an economy-rate of 8.”It’s extremely important to enjoy the game,” Aaron said. “Believe in yourself and if you think you are cut out for the tough cricketing world, if you know that cricket is your passion, then definitely pursue it in spite of the hardships. I have seen a lot of young talent in my school and college go down the drain due to lack of self-belief and direction. If you are certain of your talent and abilities, don’t let it go to waste.”The format is a great way for young college students to play the game they love. T20 has attracted a lot of young players and it is a great platform for students. Many guys who come from families that are unable to support their dreams can actually come into light with T20. KL Rahul, for instance, played Red Bull Campus Cricket which was a big boost for his career. It presented him with a wonderful opportunity to fulfil his dream and now he is scoring hundreds for India.”Dehradun is hosting eight of the top campus-cricket teams from around the world in the World Finals, which is being played at the Abhimanyu Cricket Academy from October 19 to 24.Teams from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, Australia and UAE are competing in the annual T20 competition. The participating teams have qualified for the finals after winning their respective national tournaments.”The format is fast and a game ends in a span of four hours. It is important to believe in yourself and give your 100 percent,” Aaron said.”All three formats are different and require different skill sets. While T20 is great, Test cricket is the ultimate form of cricket and a lot of hard work and effort has to be put in to succeed at that level.”The latest edition will be the first time UAE will participate in the tournament, having replaced West Indies in the line-up.Red Bull Campus Cricket started in 2012 with the aim of finding the best cricketing talents from colleges around the world. This initiative has been started with the aim of funnelling the best grassroot cricketers and preparing them for the bigger stage.

Did New Zealand take too long to declare? Had the pitch broken up enough to make batting in the fourth innings as hard as it was forecast? Was this Kane Williamson’s final Test at home?Doubt filled the air as an absorbing series eased into its final day and then dissipated in the wake of a West Indies collapse. Eight wickets fell for 25 runs after the morning drinks break with Jacob Duffy (5 for 42) taking over Sir Richard Hadlee’s record for most wickets in a calendar year for the Black Caps – and bumping Trent Boult off the top spot for damage done over a single home series.West Indies went from 87 for 0 to 112 for 8 to 138 all out with Shai Hope exemplifying their state of mind – out to a full toss without playing a shot on 3 off 78.The Bay Oval is unique. It houses the only surface in New Zealand that is better to bat at the start and turns increasingly treacherous. The wear and tear was so profound that instead of a single solid block, it turned into a mess of broken plates, wobbling about under the light roller or even simple touch. It fascinated everyone, including the home team’s players. Daryl Mitchell was even moved to do that thing most people do to check and see if something is real – he pinched it and it was proven he wasn’t dreaming.Related

• 'Cross those bridges as we come' – Williamson on his international future

So the spinner they brought in specifically for this Test match was offered centre stage. Ajaz Patel, so often peripheral to the team’s needs at home, was generating 15.8 degrees of turn. That was part of why Hope thought he was safe against a ball delivered from well wide of the crease. Ordinarily it might have pitched harmlessly and spun away harmlessly but the cross wind caught hold of it – as Ajaz had intended, because all game he was looping it up at 70kph or so – and it careened into the right-hander’s front toe.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

It took an age for New Zealand to review. Only one second was left on the clock when Tom Latham was reminded that the ball hit Hope on the full, which means from the point of contact, the projection becomes a straight line. With Ajaz’s angle from around the wicket and no shot offered, there was a chance lbw was on. Ball-tracking took another age to come up but when it did it showed three reds.New Zealand had engineered that dismissal with smart field placements as well. They crowded Hope. Slip in. Two silly points in. Two short covers in. They had already seen him defend full tosses so were encouraged to bring their field up and make the batter worry that even a firmly hit defensive shot could end up going to hand. That’s why Hope chose to leave. He thought he was being sensible. He didn’t realise he’d been cornered. No idea why because New Zealand had made it explicit. “This is hallway cricket,” they chirped as the walls closed in.Brandon King made an enterprising half-century but from there West Indies’ scorecard gave way to eight straight single-digit scores, including Roston Chase’s 5 off 26. The captain ends the tour with 42 runs at an average of 7. He might not have been able to protect himself even if he had been in form because his wicket – caught fending at second slip – was the work of an accurate bowler generating vicious bounce off a length. Duffy was the perfect weapon for New Zealand. They’d wised up to him only in August and four months later here he is, with more than twice as many wickets as his nearest competitor in this series (23 vs 10).And it wasn’t just that he was bunging it into the pitch and waiting for it to misbehave. Alick Athanaze’s wicket highlighted that Duffy has the smarts to lead this attack. He began by testing the West Indian’s back foot play and bringing natural variation into play. There was plenty of up and down bounce to worry the batter. But that wasn’t how he wanted him. Just where. Duffy had pinned Athanaze to his crease and having accomplished that, he snuck in the fuller delivery and nicked him off on the move.Duffy and Ajaz bowled nearly 70% of New Zealand’s overs in the final innings. The left-arm spinner went unchanged from the moment he was introduced into the attack on the fifth day (29-18-23-3). Together they were undeniable.New Zealand took the series 2-0 and climbed to second place on the World Test Championship table. Later in the evening, they’ll part ways with Williamson who has already said without saying that he won’t be with them in January in India. “There’s a pretty large block away from the group as well, and there’ll be more conversations had,” he announced on Sunday. On Monday, he celebrated a hard-earned Test win. On Thursday, he’ll enjoy Christmas with his family. Beyond that, his future appears unknown. He might already have played his final Test match at his home ground.