Is Rasmus Hojlund Man Utd's worst striker of the Premier League era? Ranking every Red Devils forward as Ruben Amorim begins search for prolific attacker amid £72m Dane's struggles

Signing Alexis Sanchez in January 2018 ahead of Manchester City and on a swap deal with Arsenal for Henrikh Mkhitaryan looked like a brilliant piece of business for United. But it proved to be one of the biggest transfer mistakes the club has made. The Chilean may have been outstanding for Arsenal and his country, but his attitude at United was terrible and he later confessed to wanting to leave after his first day of training.

He had hardly any memorable moments in his 18 months at Old Trafford, during which he earned a reported £400,000-per-week. In that time he scored a shocking five goals in all competitions. He was an unmitigated disaster, prompting cackles from City and Arsenal fans alike.

In the winter of 2022, United lost a five-time Ballon d'Or winner and replaced him with a Burnley reject. Wout Weghorst was a low-cost loan and was only supposed to be a squad player, but he ended up becoming a regular starter due to Anthony Martial's injury problems.

He worked hard and had a couple of good moments, but as the weeks wore on it became clearer and clearer that he was simply not good enough to play for United. Weghorst ended his loan spell without scoring a single Premier League goal, missing a glaring chance against Fulham in his final match at Old Trafford.

There was immense excitement when Radamel Falcao signed on loan for United on deadline day in 2014, completing a whirlwind transfer window which also saw the arrival of Angel Di Maria and Ander Herrera.

Falcao and Di Maria combined in stunning fashion against Leicester City to set pulses racing, but the match had a sour ending as the newly-promoted Foxes ran out 5-3 winners. So too did Falcao's career at Old Trafford.

The Colombian was nowhere near to full fitness after suffering a horrific knee injury the previous year which had sidelined him for nine months and forced him to miss the World Cup. He scored just four league goals in 26 appearances for the Red Devils and had another poor loan spell at Chelsea before resurrecting his career back with Monaco.

As first impressions go, it was hard to beat. Federico Macheda had never even been a first-team substitute but, aged 17, he was hauled off the bench and thrust into the thick of the action with United trailing 2-1 to Aston Villa in April 2009.

What happened next was the stuff of dreams. With the score 2-2 and the game heading into the 90th minute, the teenager took a pass from Ryan Giggs, turned on the spot and curled the ball into the far corner, snatching a win that gave United the edge in the title race against Liverpool. A week later, he scored the winner at Sunderland too.

That was about as good as it got for Macheda, who is now on his 12th club and seeing out his career in Cyprus. He scored a total of five goals in 36 games with United and has admitted that he didn't push himself hard enough. But in one crazy week he earned United four points which made the difference between losing the title to Liverpool and winning it.

Of all the players United could have signed with the £80m ($102m) they received for selling Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid, an injury prone and aged Michael Owen would have been on no one's list.

Owen's shock signing infuriated Liverpool and United fans alike, and in several matches found himself being booed and taunted by his own supporters. A series of hamstring injuries had shorn the former England striker of his famous pace and he has admitted to being afraid to sprint in the latter phase of his career due to fear of tearing a muscle.

But he still knew how to finish in front of goal and he gave United fans a moment they will never forget by scoring the last-minute winner against Man City to clinch a 4-3 win at Old Trafford. It was the most memorable of the 17 goals he scored for the Red Devils in three seasons.

"He came from Uruguay, he made the Scousers cry". Diego Forlan will always be fondly remembered by United fans for his two goals against Liverpool at Anfield, but his time at Old Trafford was not a happy one overall.

He had to wait nine months for his first Premier League goal and scored just 17 times in 97 appearances before leaving for Villarreal in August 2004. The Uruguayan rebuilt his career in stunning fashion in La Liga with the Yellow Submarine and then Atletico Madrid.

The Uruguayan could have been a real hit at United had he joined five years earlier, but when he arrived on a free transfer in 2020 he had passed his peak and struggled to stay fit, particularly in his second season.

His first season took place amid the gloom of the coronavirus pandemic, meaning he did not play in front of fans until May, and there was the gross misunderstanding which led to him being suspended for three games for a social media post which the FA deemed discriminatory.

However, the veteran striker still managed to score 10 goals in his first campaign and produced several moments of brilliance, including a 40-yard lob against Fulham and two late strikes to snatch victory at Southampton.

There was a great level of excitement around Hojlund's first few matches and fans were reminded of Van Nistelrooy's power when he ripped through Galatasaray in a stunning first Champions League game at Old Trafford. His goals were the only positive of United's dismal European campaign but he struggled badly in the Premier League, waiting until late December to score his first league goal. He looked to have found his feet when he scored in six games on the trot and ended the campaign with a creditable 15 goals in all competitions.

But instead of that run being a platform for him to go on to score 20+ goals in his second season, Hojlund has been a shadow of a player in this campaign. He was not helped by suffering a hamstring injury in pre-season, although he has been completely injury free since returning to action in September and has almost no excuses for his barren form - except poor service - scoring only three Premier League goals.

United fans would have loved for Danny Welbeck to have turned into their first-choice striker. He was from Manchester, had grown up at the club and just seemed to love playing for the Red Devils.

However, he never quite had the ability to deliver at the highest level. In a 15-year career in which he has played for Sunderland, Preston, United, Arsenal and Brighton, he has never scored more than 10 goals in a campaign.

A lack of consistency in front of goal is what ultimately convinced Louis van Gaal to sell him to the Gunners in 2014 and his departure was difficult to digest. Welbeck was a highly intelligent player, generous with his team-mates, and he left a load of great memories, above all scoring against Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu.

Lukaku seemed to be the final piece in Jose Mourinho's tactical puzzle at Old Trafford when he joined United from Everton for £75m ($96m) in 2017, having struck 25 goals in his final season with the Toffees. The Belgian got off to a flying start with seven goals in his first two months, but couldn't keep that strike rate up. And he rarely came up with the goods against United's top-six rivals.

Having scored 28 goals in his debut campaign, Lukaku could only manage 15 in his next season. He did contribute to the stunning Champions League comeback over Paris Saint-Germain, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was not convinced of his qualities and he was sold to Inter.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic and United was a match made in heaven, and the shame is that it didn't happen earlier nor last longer. The Swede, who was 34 when he joined on a free transfer, got off to a flying start by scoring in the Community Shield win against Leicester, on his Premier League debut at Bournemouth and netting twice against Southampton in his first match at Old Trafford.

Ibrahimovic scored 28 goals in his first season, including two in the League Cup final win over Southampton and a stunning hat-trick against Saint-Etienne in the Europa League, as well as goals against City and Liverpool.

However, his brilliant season was cruelly ended by a knee injury against Anderlecht in April and that was the beginning of the end of his United career.

How good could Louis Saha have been if he had had better luck with injuries? The Frenchman had a stunning debut for United against Southampton following a £12m ($15m) move from Fulham in January 2004 and scored seven goals in his first 10 starts.

Injuries interrupted his next season and he only scored twice, but once he returned to full fitness he showed how good he was, getting 28 goals and 13 assists in the 2005-06 and 2006-07 campaigns combined.

Saha fired United to League Cup glory in 2006 with six goals in five games and played a big part in the Premier League success the following season. But more injuries meant he could not finish the campaign and severely disrupted his progress the following season, when he also had to compete with Carlos Tevez.

Anthony Martial was relatively unknown when United signed him at the age of 19 from Monaco for a fee rising to £50m ($64m). He had an excellent first campaign, scoring 17 times, including firing United to an FA Cup semi-final win over Everton with a goal in stoppage time.

But his form and confidence suffered when Jose Mourinho succeeded Louis van Gaal in 2016. The arrival of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer led to Martial being reborn as a centre-forward and he scored 17 league goals in the 2019-20 campaign to help United finish third. It was his last great season.

Martial joined Sevilla on loan in January 2022, and when he returned to United the following campaign, he confirmed that he is a talented and effective forward on his day but also incapable of maintaining his fitness for an extended period, underlined by the fact he missed 33 matches through injury. His last season was a familiar story, missing the final five month with injury before leaving at the end of his contract, eventually joining AEK Athens.

Signing Tevez on a two-year loan for a minimal fee was a real coup by Sir Alex Ferguson. Tevez scored 34 goals and set up 14 more in his two seasons with the Red Devils, forming a deadly partnership with Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as an unlikely friendship with Patrice Evra and Park Ji-sung.

He was always good value for a late or crucial goal, grabbing vital equalisers at Blackburn and Lyon, and the winner at Anfield. Tevez helped United lift back-to-back titles in his two years at Old Trafford, plus the 2008 Champions League, the Argentine scoring in the penalty shootout win over Chelsea in Moscow.

But he ruined those two magical years by betraying the club and joining Manchester City, sparking the infamous 'Welcome to Manchester' billboard and putting United's local rivals on the map.

Teddy Sheringham had the daunting task of filling the boots of the retired Eric Cantona and he got off to a nightmare start, missing a penalty against former club Tottenham on his debut amid cries of 'Judas' from the White Hart Lane crowd.

His second season did not go swimmingly either until the final few weeks, and he had a remarkable impact as a substitute in both the 1999 FA Cup and Champions League finals. Sheringham got better with each year from there, and he was United's talisman when they won a third consecutive title in 2000-01.

His success also came in spite of the fact that two of his team-mates - Andy Cole and Roy Keane - refused to speak to him!

'Chicharito' signed for United just after an impressive showing at the 2010 World Cup with Mexico and was an instant hit, scoring on his debut against Chelsea in the Community Shield.

The Mexican did not have the physical attributes of many top strikers, but he made up for a lack of strength with brilliant movement and anticipation, making him deadly in the box.

He scored 33 Premier League goals in his first three seasons and had a particular knack for coming off the bench and scoring the winner, snatching last-gasp victories at Aston Villa, Stoke and West Brom, as well as an equaliser at Chelsea.

Hughes joined United's academy as a school boy and 10 years after making his first-team debut - and after a year each with Barcelona and Bayern Munich - he finally won the league title, firing the Red Devils to the inaugural Premier League crown in 1993 with 15 goals, his best ever tally.

The Wales striker, nicknamed 'Sparky', was also prolific when United retained the title in 1994, forming a potent partnership with Eric Cantona. However, with the Frenchman banned for the latter half of the 1994-95 campaign, Hughes could not make it three in a row and was sold to Chelsea that summer.

A specialist at volleys, Hughes was the hero of the 1992 Cup Winners Cup final, scoring both goals in United's 2-1 win over Barcelona in Rotterdam. He was a cult hero, but his legacy was ever so slightly tainted when he became Manchester City manager.

Sir Alex Ferguson was so determined to make sure Manchester City did not sign Dimitar Berbatov that he picked him up from the airport on transfer deadline day in 2008 and drove him straight to Old Trafford to complete the transfer from Tottenham. And the Bulgarian was an utter joy to watch.

He often seemed to play at walking pace and at times seemed to be on a whole different level of class to his peers. Early into his United career, he had the whole of Old Trafford eating out of his hand after an insane piece of skill against West Ham's hapless James Collins.

Berbatov had impressed without tearing up any trees in his first two seasons, but he really found his feet in his third, finishing top scorer in the Premier League and leading United to the title with 20 goals. Inexplicably, he did not even make the substitutes' bench for the Champions League final against Barcelona.

Robin van Persie was at the peak of his career and had just had his best ever campaign for Arsenal when he signed for United in 2012. It is thought that the Dutch striker was a parting gift from the club to Ferguson to ensure United recaptured the title after losing it in agonising circumstances to City the previous season.

Van Persie took no time adapting to United and fired them to the title as early as April, fittingly clinching the crown at Old Trafford by scoring a hat-trick against Aston Villa. He ended the campaign on 27 league goals, a tally that has not been beaten since.

He had the misfortune to join in what proved to be Ferguson's final year, and like so many of his team-mates he struggled under David Moyes, although he was responsible for one of few happy moments in the 2013-14 season, scoring a hat-trick against Olympiacos in the Champions League to pull off a comeback win.

The 'baby-faced assassin' was a total unknown when he joined United in 1996 after the club had tried and failed to land Alan Shearer. However, the Norwegian was also a prolific forward and was the perfect squad player, never kicking up a fuss when he was left out of the team.

United had agreed to sell Solskjaer to Tottenham in the summer of 1998 but he asked to stay and had the campaign of his life, scoring four goals from the bench at Nottingham Forest and then netting the injury-time winner against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final to complete the treble.

Solskjaer departed in 2007 as a modern club legend with 126 goals, and his popularity led to him eventually becoming manager despite having hardly any experience, remaining in the role for almost three years.

"Making love and scoring a couple of goals; is there a better way to spend your time on the planet?" It is quote that perfectly sums up Dwight Yorke, who always seemed to be the happiest man in the world.

But Yorke did a lot more than just smile, proving both a ruthless scorer and a wonderfully creative player. He got off to an ideal start, scoring twice on his home debut against Charlton, and soon found his perfect strike partner in Andy Cole.

Yorke struck 53 goals in his first two seasons for United as well as contributing 25 assists. His party lifestyle appeared to catch up with him in his third campaign, although he still finished it with 12 strikes, including a hat-trick against Arsenal. His fourth season was a disaster, but he had already made his mark and been a crucial part of United's greatest-ever side.

Marcus who? That was the reaction of many United fans when the 18-year-old was named in the starting line-up for a Europa League match against Midtjylland in 2016. But Rashford did not take long to ingratiate himself to supporters, scoring twice against the Danish side then doing the same against Arsenal three days later.

Rashford kept on improving and developed into one of the club's most important and best-loved players, even winning over rival supporters with his campaigning on school meals during the coronavirus pandemic. He scored a stunning 30 goals in the 2022-23 campaign but that proved to be a turning point in his United career as his form nose-dived shortly after signing a lucrative new contract and his relationship with the fans soured over his off-the-pitch behaviour.

His exit on loan to Aston Villa was inevitable and not mourned at the time but it is a sad situation that Rashford could not stay on track at United and go on to be an all-time great. Especially since he is on his way to revitalising his career under Unai Emery. Still, being eighth on the club's top-scorers list in the Premier League is not to be sniffed at.

Forget what Glen Hoddle said about Cole needing "four or five chances" to score. He was an utterly lethal striker for United, scoring 121 goals in seven years and firing them to five league titles, two FA Cups and the Champions League.

Cole's United career truly took off when his close friend Dwight Yorke joined him at the start of the 1998-99 season. The pair scored 74 goals between them in the next two campaigns, and it was Cole's delicate chip against Tottenham on the final day of the season which snatched the title back from Arsenal.

Despite later joining City, Cole is still idolised by United fans and the chant "He gets the ball he scores a goal, Andy Andy Cole" is still heard regularly at Old Trafford.

Sir Alex Ferguson valued Ruud van Nistelrooy so highly that after the Dutchman suffered a serious knee injury which wrecked his move to United in 2000, the manager promised he would sign him when he recovered. The Scot was true to his word, and his faith was rewarded when he bought the striker from PSV in 2001.

Van Nistelrooy averaged 30 goals per season in his five years at Old Trafford and set records for scoring in 10 consecutive Premier League games and hitting 12 goals in a Champions League campaign - since broken by Jamie Vardy and Cristiano Ronaldo, respectively.

His United career came to an abrupt end when he was sacked by Ferguson on the final day of the 2005-06 season and was ordered to drive home from Old Trafford without attending the final match. But he remains one of the most prolific strikers in the club's history.

Cristiano Ronaldo arrived at United as a teenage show pony, but under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson he went from infuriating winger to the complete forward and became the best player in the world.

Ronaldo spearheaded a golden era for United, inspiring them to three consecutive Premier League titles and back-to-back Champions League finals – winning the trophy in 2008. He was an absolute goal-machine, scoring 42 times in that campaign.

He was sold for a then-world record £80m to Real Madrid in 2009 and developed into an even greater player, adding another four Ballon d'Or awards to the first one he won while a United player.

His return to United 12 years later sent fans into a frenzy, and on many occasions he was like the Ronaldo of old, scoring twice on his debut against Newcastle and leading the Red Devils to comeback wins over Villarreal, Atalanta and Arsenal, while hitting hat-tricks against Tottenham and Norwich.

But the inescapable truth is that United became a worse team overall due to Ronaldo's presence and a dream start to the campaign made way for a nightmare as they finished the season with their lowest-ever points total in the Premier League. Ronaldo's petty antics the following campaign further tainted his second coming.

Eric Cantona was the catalyst and the inspiration for Sir Alex Ferguson’s first great side. To add to that, he was an absolute bargain at £1.2m – and also robbed bitter rivals Leeds United of their best player. After helping Leeds to the title – at United’s expense - in 1992, Cantona headed to Old Trafford and kicked off a period of unprecedented success.

He won the title and then the double in his first two seasons, and though he was banned for kung-fu kicking a Crystal Palace fan the following year, he then returned to lead United to another double, while also inspiring a new generation, which included David Beckham and Paul Scholes.

In Cantona’s five seasons at Old Trafford, he won four league titles. The only time they weren’t crowned league champions was when he was banned. A true icon.

When United agreed to sign Wayne Rooney from Everton in 2004, the Toffees' chairman Bill Kenwright burst out crying in Sir Alex Ferguson's office and asked to call his mother. Between tears, Ferguson could hear him saying "they're stealing our boy, they're stealing our boy".

Kenwright had every right to be upset as Rooney was the most talented English footballer since Paul Gascoigne, but unlike the volcanic playmaker, he made the most of it. Rooney scored a hat-trick on his debut at Old Trafford and went on to become the club's all-time top scorer with 253 goals in 13 seasons.

And he is responsible for some of the greatest goals in the Premier League era, such as his stunning volley against Newcastle in 2005 or his audacious bicycle kick against Manchester City in 2011.