Manchester United draw up 4 man shortlist as they look to reinforce squad in key area: Reports

Manchester United have reportedly lined up a four-man shortlist for strikers to bring in during the January transfer window. Daily Mail has reported that the Red Devils are looking at Brentford's Bryan Mbuemo, Wolverhampton Wanderers' Matheus Cunha, Ipswich Town's Liam Delap, and Lille striker Jonathan David.

The report claims that should the Red Devils find a way to offload Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford, or Alejandro Garnacho, they will move for a striker this month. All three players are academy products and their sale would translate to pure profits.

While selling Rashford could reportedly free up the maximum salary space, Garnacho (as per Daily Mail) appears most likely to seal an exit in January. Chelsea and Napoli are reportedly interested in his services, with the player keen to stay in England (as per journalist Gaston Edul).

Manchester United have mostly operated with Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo as the advanced forwards with Garnacho being reduced to a bench role under new boss Ruben Amorim. As for Kobbie Mainoo, he continues to be a regular starter under the Portuguese boss in midfield.

Should Manchester United sign any of the four aforementioned players?

The Red Devils currently have Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee as their two number nines. Marcus Rashford, despite being able to operate as a number nine, has not found space in Ruben Amorim's team on most occasions.

Hojlund has registered seven goals and one assist in 26 games, while Zirkzee has four goals and three assists in 31 matches this season. It would make sense for the Red Devils to get a new number nine at the club, given their obvious struggles in front of goal.

Coming to the targets, Mbuemo and Cunha are better suited to operate as shadow forwards, which means one of Fernandes or Diallo might have to make way for them. David or Delap would be a better fit given their ability to play as the target man, with the latter also carrying Premier League experience.

Overall, while United do need new faces upfront, they will also be aware of their problems in other areas of the pitch. With Amorim yet to sign a new player, it remains to be seen how they go around working the re-development in a new tactical system.