To describe the first third of Manchester United's season as rough this year would be quite the understatement.
The Red Devils enjoyed a brilliant season last year, winning the League Cup and qualifying for the Champions League; however, they have already been knocked out of the former and are standing on the cusp of an early exit from the latter this season.
Their Premier League form hasn't been much better either, with the team following up on their 2-1 win over Chelsea with a 3-0 home loss to Bournemouth, further increasing the pressure on Erik ten Hag.
The Dutch manager needs his players to start performing, and in particular, he needs new striker Rasmus Hojlund to open his league account. However, if the Dane continues to struggle, Ten Hag could replace him with the latest promising youngster linked to Old Trafford, Loïs Openda.
Manchester United transfer news – Loïs Openda
According to The Mirror, Manchester United have been tracking RB Leipzig's exciting young attacker Loïs Openda in recent months and had scouts in attendance at the Etihad to see him score a brace against Manchester City in the Champions League last month.
The report reveals that the scouts were incredibly impressed with what they saw and reported it back to Ten Hag, leading to the club making Openda a 'serious target' for 2024.
The same report also mentions the interest of several other sides, including Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur, as well as the fact that any move is likely to cost United in the region of £75m, more than twice the £35m fee the Germans paid to sign the forward from RC Lens in the summer.
The transfer would be an undeniably pricey one to complete, but considering the "terrifying" striker, as described by The Athletic journalist Seb Staffod-Bloor, has scored 14 goals in 19 appearances for Leipzig this season, it would be worth pursuing.
Why Openda has a brighter future than Hojlund
Now, it would be unfair and quite foolish to rule out Hojlund at this point in his United career, especially as he has shown glimpses of brilliance in Europe, but when it comes to who looks more likely to succeed at this moment in time, you would have to side with Openda.
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Where the Dane has flattered to deceive on the domestic front, the Belgian has flourished. It isn't just that he has scored more goals either; the former Lens man has generally just been the more impressive player for a couple of years now.
Comparing the pair's numbers from last season proves this, and what makes it more convincing is that Hojlund was in good goalscoring form last year, so it can't just be blamed on a poor few months.
Goals
0.75
0.48
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists
0.77
0.58
Progressive Passes
1.50
1.82
Progressive Carries
2.18
1.97
Shots on Target
1.75
1.41
Pass Completion
67.0%
73.1%
Goal-Creating Actions
0.43
0.25
Miscontrols
2.11
4.63
The "exceptional" attacker, as described by one journalist, clearly outshines his potential new teammate in almost every critical attacking statistic, only falling just short in his progressive passing and his overall passing accuracy. It's notably exciting to assess Openda's ball-carrying skills. Indeed, the ability to beat a man and then find the net is something that shouldn't be sniffed at by United's recruitment team.
There is, of course, every chance that Hojlund can improve at United as he grows more accustomed to English football. However, the fact that Ten Hag has opted to start Anthony Martial ahead of him in certain games is undoubtedly concerning, given the Frenchman's uninspiring record at the club.
Ultimately, if United want to fight their way back to the pinnacle of English and European football, then going in for and signing a player like Openda wouldn't be the worst idea, even if it means that their current Danish wonderkid has to take a backseat for a while.