Manchester United have completed a clean sweep regarding November's Premier League awards, with Erik ten Hag crowned Manager of the Month, Harry Maguire provided the player's award for his rock-solid defending and Alejandro Garnacho earning Goal of the Month for his almighty bicycle kick against Everton.
But Saturday's 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth underscored the glaring issues that threaten to spiral the club's campaign into the abyss, with the vertiginous gulf between United and their Manchester neighbours, along with Arsenal and Liverpool, pretty staggering.
After 16 matchweeks, the Red Devils are just three points behind imperious neighbours Manchester City – who albeit could stretch that gap with victory over Luton Town on Monday – and while six victories have been claimed from the past nine outings, improvements are needed across the pitch.
It's clear that United's offensive ranks are not quite gelling, with Scott McTominay actually the squad's top scorer across all competitions this season, netting six goals thus far.
Rasmus Hojlund, aged 20, completed a £72m transfer to Old Trafford in the summer and is unquestionably a talent of immense potential, though the cogs are not clicking yet and he has blanked across all 11 Premier League appearances – though he has scored five in five in the Champions League.
With Marcus Rashford starkly out of sorts, it's clear that firepower is needed to ensure that the prestigious outfit does not fall by the wayside, and with the January transfer window looming large,
Man Utd transfer news – Serhou Guirassy
According to Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, Manchester United have enquired about the availability of Stuttgart's red-hot striker Serhou Guirassy, who may be allowed to leave the Bundesliga in January but for no less than €20m (£17m).
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This follows transfer news from Football Insider earlier in the week, claiming that United should now be considered frontrunners for the Guinean's signature – alongside Newcastle United – after Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham, Fulham and Aston Villa had initially been credited with an interest.
The 27-year-old is believed to be open to holding winter discussions with Manchester United, though is happy to remain with Stuttgart until the summer, currently third in the German top-flight and boasting a five-point cushion over fifth-placed Borussia Dortmund.
Serhou Guirassy's season in numbers
Guirassy, simply, has been in unbelievable form throughout the 2023/24 campaign so far, having plundered 18 goals from 13 matches across all competitions – including 16 from 11 in the Bundesliga.
For reference, Harry Kane, who has been widely praised for tearing German football apart since departing Tottenham Hotspur for Bayern Munich in the summer, has scored 18 league goals, just two more than Guirassy.
Heralded for his "outrageous hot streak" by The Athletic's Seb Stafford-Bloor, the £36k-per-week goal machine has built considerably after displaying flashes of top-class quality last term, scoring 14 times from 29 matches during the 2022/23 campaign – including 11 from 20 starts in the Bundesliga.
As per Sofascore, he has been astounding in his relentlessness, averaging 3.7 shots per game in the league, also completing 81% of his passes and creating 1.7 key passes each outing.
Serhou Guirassy's style of play
Clearly a brilliant goalscorer, the 6 foot 2 Guirassy is not just a target man and would offer a myriad of qualities to improve Manchester United's frontline, crisp and commanding as the focal frontman and eager to influence the play with his distribution.
There's an element of selflessness too, which is an interesting trait for one so prolific, and he has been dubbed an "incredible" player by journalist Dean Jones for his efforts.
As per FBref, the Guinea international ranks among the top 1% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals scored, the top 13% for shot-creating actions, the top 8% for pass completion and the top 14% for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90.
Interestingly, Manchester City's world-class talisman Erling Haaland is listed as a comparable player to the in-form star, and it certainly wouldn't be a half-bad acquisition to sign a clinical presence to rival the Norwegian machine.
In fact, Guirassy is actually outscoring Haaland in league football this season, with the 23-year-old posting 14 strikes from 15 Premier League appearances.
Of course, Haaland is arguably the best centre-forward in the world and is definitely the best out-and-out goalscorer, but Guirassy's cutting edge is something that United have been lacking this term and if he could emulate that on English shores, Ten Hag might have the means to craft a truly excellent end to a campaign that has ebbed and flowed to this point.
How Guirassy compares to Martial
Should Manchester United succeed in signing Guirassy, Ten Hag could finally axe long-time servant Anthony Martial, who remains a regular presence in the matchday squad despite failing to impress for considerable time now.
Across 18 appearances, the once-prodigious talent has only scored two goals and supplied two assists this season, and has even been branded a "humongous waste of talent” by former professional Craig Burley.
Season
Apps
Goals
Assists
G/A Rate
23/24
12
1
1
0.17
22/23
21
6
2
0.36
21/22
8
1
0
0.12
20/21
22
4
6
0.45
19/20
32
17
7
0.75
*Sourced via Transfermarkt
Since the start of the 2020/21 campaign, Martial has actually only scored 20 goals across all competitions, including just 12 in the Premier League.
It's not good enough and it's not what Ten Hag needs to bridge the gap between his side and the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool at the forefront of the Premier League.
Hojlund, it's worth noting, has bags of potential and could bloom into a formidable attacking force in years to come, but with the experienced Guirassy serving as a counterweight up top, United could find the weapon needed to fire them into first-class form.
