Man Utd need Viktor Gyokeres NOW! Ruben Amorim cannot rely on Rasmus Hojlund or Joshua Zirkzee to fire Red Devils away from very real relegation danger

The excitement over Amorim's initial appointment at Old Trafford has quickly given way to despair. United have only picked up six points from their first six Premier League matches under the Portuguese, who has just four wins across all competitions to his name since replacing Erik ten Hag in the dugout at the end of November.

Amorim has been desperately trying to give this United team a proper identity with an energy-zapping 3-4-3 system. He wants United to control possession with short, progressive passing and demands an aggressive press facilitated by a risky high line, which reaped great rewards at Sporting.

"I have to sell my idea, I don’t have another one," Amorim said after the Newcastle loss. "The team is not improving [but] if I change all the time it is going to be even worse." The problem is that he doesn't have the same profile of players at his disposal in Manchester. They don't look capable of executing his vision.

With the January transfer window now open, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS have to back Amorim just as they did Ten Hag. It has been reported that United are working on a strict budget due to Profit and Sustainability Rules, but one or two major sales would change that, with Marcus Rashford, Casemiro and Antony among those who should be sacrificed so that Amorim can start building a squad in his image.

A lack of goals has been United's biggest issue, which is why their first priority should be signing a No.9 who can strike fear into opposing teams across the country. Unfortunately, Rasmus Hojlund does not fall into that bracket.

The Danish frontman has only scored seven goals in 22 appearances so far this season, with just two of those coming in the Premier League. That's not even close to good enough.

At 21, Hojlund still has plenty of potential to unlock, and United are not going to give up on a £72 million ($90m) investment after only 18 months, but he simply cannot be trusted to shoulder the main goal-scoring burden. Hojlund doesn't seem to have the killer instinct needed to thrive at Old Trafford, which not even Ruud van Nistelrooy was able to teach him, and it remains to be seen if Amorim can succeed where a club legend failed.

In the summer, another prolific former United striker offered a damning assessment of Hojlund. Dwight Yorke said to Boyle Sports, who provide the latest Premier League betting: “I think it’s going to be very difficult for Hojlund to be a 20-goal a season striker from what I’ve seen and I think it will never happen. He’s still young but even watching him at Euro 2024, he’s lacking something. I’m not quite sure what it is. He’s not got that X factor that you look for in strikers."

Those words still ring true now. Even looking beyond his sub-par finishing, the former Atalanta man struggles to hold the ball up, and his body language is poor when things are not going his way. Hojlund still has a lot of maturing to do, and is clearly not the leading man United so desperately need right now.

With Rashford essentially exiled from Amorim's line-up after publicly pushing for a transfer away from Old Trafford, United only have one other alternative to Hojlund through through the middle: Joshua Zirkzee. The Dutchman has endured a nightmare start to life with the Red Devils since his £36m ($45m) move from Bologna, finding the net just four times in 27 games, and it has been reported that he could be sent back to Italy on loan this month amid interest from Juventus.

In Zirkzee's defence, he has been mistakenly characterised as a centre-forward by those who never watched him play for Bologna, Anderlecht or Bayern Munich. The Netherlands international is not a natural goal-scorer, he's a link man who likes to drop deep and play a key role in the build-up play.

It was also a disgrace to hear some United fans jeering Zirkzee when Amorim took him off after just 33 minutes against Newcastle. It's never okay to turn on one of your own, especially in times of crisis.

However, that does not excuse Zirkzee for how poorly he has played, not just on Monday, but across the entire season. There has been the odd flash of brilliance, but he has generally looked way off the pace, in the Premier League especially. Zirkzee misses too many chances, gives the ball away far too cheaply and hasn't been doing his job defensively.

Maybe a move to Juve and a reunion with ex-Bologna boss Thiago Motta would help Zirkzee rebuild some confidence. At the moment, his presence is only hindering United, and Amorim can't afford to keep carrying any passengers in the second half of the season.

Gyokeres is the obvious solution to United's woes in the final third. The Swedish marksman scored 62 times for club and country in 2024, more than any other striker on the continent, averaging almost a goal a game.

This season alone, Gyokeres has hit 27 goals for Sporting, including five in six Champions League appearances. He even outshone Erling Haaland when Sporting faced off against 2023 European champions Manchester City on November 5, scoring a stunning hat-trick to give Amorim a famous 4-1 victory in his final home game in charge of the Portuguese giants.

Naturally, United have been linked with a move for Gyokeres ever since they secured Amorim's services. Arsenal, Liverpool, City and Chelsea have also been credited with interest in the 26-year-old, but Amorim's presence gives United an edge.

The Red Devils famously left it too long to make a move for Haaland during the tenure of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who had previously worked with him at Molde, and they cannot afford to make the same mistake this time around. It will be an embarrassment if United are beaten to the punch by a direct rival again and Gyokeres goes on to make the same impact in the Premier League as Haaland.

Gyokeres is another Scandinavian monster who lives to bully defenders and score goals. He is even better technically than Haaland, too, boasting impressive close control for a big man, and would instantly take United to another level.

Shortly before travelling to Manchester to start his new job, Amorim played down a winter swoop for Sporting's talisman. "Gyokeres costs €100 million and it's very difficult. I'm not going to pick up any Sporting player in January," he told reporters.

That was before he fully understood the depth of the cultural malaise at United. He inherited a squad full of entitled prima donnas, many of whom have long overstayed their welcome, and it's no surprise he's been unable to whip them into shape.

According to The Daily Star, Amorim is ready to break his vow. He now considers signing Gyokeres in January to be a 'necessity', despite knowing full well that Sporting president Frederico Varandas will demand that United pay Gyokeres' £83m ($103m) release clause in full to prise him away mid-season.

If United have to ship out a few players to fund a deal, so be it. In the short-term, Gyokeres could preserve the club's Premier League status, and in the long run, he has the qualities to spearhead their return to the top of the game.

There are some who would call it a gamble, given Gyokeres has yet to play in one of Europe's top five leagues. However, he has already made his mark in the Champions League, and proven himself in English football.

Sporting spent £20m ($25m) on Gyokeres after seeing him light up the Championship at Coventry City, with 21 goals plundered in his final season at the club, which so nearly ended in promotion. Gyokeres has all the attributes to succeed in the Premier League and United must move quickly to take him off the market.

United can't wait until the summer to move for Gyokeres while they continue to flirt with relegation. A return to the Championship would be a major backward step for Gyokeres, and even if the Red Devils do stay up as expected, would he really want to join a bottom-half Premier League club?

Make no mistake, that is where United are destined to finish if Amorim is not given license to spend in the current window. The coach has been brave enough to acknowledge that relegation is a "possibility", while also declaring: "I think people are tired of excuses at this club. This club needs a shock."

That could easily be translated into the following message to INEOS: 'Give me what I need to make my philosophy work, or else suffer the ultimate humiliation.' Amorim isn't going to budge on his ideals, and nor should he.

The 39-year-old walked into the mother of all messes at Old Trafford, caused mainly by Ratcliffe's inexplicable decision to extend Ten Hag's contract in June. Now, the INEOS chairman is obliged to do everything within his power to aid Amorim's rebuild. The first step is to gift him with Gyokeres.