Viktor Gyokeres is the name on everybody's lips, including Manchester United fans, after his stunning display in Sporting CP's shock 4-1 win against Manchester City. Ruben Amorim gave the perfect audition for his new head coach role at Old Trafford, and his Swedish striker must come along for the ride.
The 26-year-old bagged a hat-trick against City, bringing his tally for the season to a remarkable 23 goals in 17 games across competitions. Trust us, we're not getting carried away when we say the Sporting goalscoring machine will be United's answer to Erling Haaland.
In fact, Gyokeres made Haaland looks minor league tonight, the Norweigan didn't help himself, hitting the bar with a penalty. The Swede wasn't just among the goals, his overall play was outstanding, bullying defenders and breaking at lightning speed on the counter. He's a must have to ignite the Amorim era.
Manchester United must sign Viktor Gyokeres and deal with the consequences
Gyokeres is in-demand with several of Europe's big-guns chasing him amid his sensational spell at the Jose Alvalade Stadium. Sky Sport Germany's Florian Plettenberg reports that Manchester United weren't in the race for the Sweden international but Amorim's arrival may change things.
Plettenberg claims that Gyokeres will be allowed to leave Sporting for around €60-70 million. That's an enticing fee, given he's Europe's in-form goalscorer at the moment. There is a major obstacle, though, as City, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea are all keeping tabs.
Gyokeres is shining under Amorim and we'll put Erik ten Hag's persistence with his former players that ultimately failed to one side. The former Brighton frontman is the real deal and arguably a more well-rounded striker than Haaland.
Rasmus Hojlund can work as rotation
Some Manchester United fans will likely argue that Rasmus Hojlund's development will be stunted by Gyokeres' arrival. He's been the Red Devils' marksman since arriving from Atalanta in August 2023 for
€73 million.
Hojlund, 21, hasn't been able to live up to expectations in front of goal, managing just two in 10 games this season. He's the club's all-time most expensive U21 signing, and his record just isn't good enough.
The Dane could benefit from a more prolific striker to learn from even though Gyokeres is by no means a veteran forward. He could be a great option on the bench to help stretch teams and who knows in the future he could wrestle the starting role back from an ageing Gyokeres.
Joshua Zirkzee won't work out
It's dissapointing to see Joshua Zirkzee struggle the way he has at Manchester United but the Dutch attacker just isn't suited to Premier League football. He looks off the pace and nowhere near the exciting talent that helped Bologna qualify for the UEFA Champions League last season.
The Red Devils spent €42.5 million on Zirkzee, 23, in the summer with an expectation that he'd bolster the attack. That hasn't happened and he's arguably been INEOS' biggest mistake on the recruitment front.
Zirkzee has managed one goal and two assists in 15 games across competitions. He's already been linked with a return to Serie A, with talk of a move to Juventus, per Fichajes. It's a price INEOS will have to pay for a recruitment blunder.