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Man Utd might regret missing out on striker Sir Jim Ratcliffe wanted, as he scores four goals on debut for new club

Originally posted on HITC | By Vatsal Gupta | Last updated Jul 26, 2025 8:21 AM ET

Manchester United’s search for a new striker still hasn’t paid off, even though they’ve been linked with plenty of forwards across Europe.

The club entered the summer with a clear plan in mind, shaped by the financial limitations on their transfer budget.

One part of that plan included activating Liam Delap’s £30m relegation release clause at Ipswich Town, a deal that looked like strong value for money given his profile and potential impact.

After missing out on Delap, United shifted their focus to Bryan Mbeumo but still have work to do to address the striker position.

This summer has already seen several high-profile strikers move clubs, including Viktor Gyokeres joining Arsenal, Hugo Ekitike signing for Liverpool, and Joao Pedro heading to Chelsea. That’s left United with fewer options than they might have hoped at this stage.

The club is now weighing up a move for Ollie Watkins. As covered by United in Focus, it’s expected that Aston Villa will demand around £60m for the forward.

Meanwhile, there is one striker who has been on United’s radar long-term and could have fit well into their plans this window before he moved elsewhere.

Impressive first outing for Evan Ferguson with Roma

Evan Ferguson, once considered one of the Premier League’s top young striker prospects while at Brighton, was often linked with a move to Manchester United.

United were told they’d need to wait five years to land Ferguson, who drew early comparisons to Harry Kane for his maturity and all-around game.

☘️ Evan Ferguson @OfficialASRoma pic.twitter.com/4lq55N8QDM
— Lega Serie A (@SerieA) July 23, 2025

The club reportedly put in a £50m bid for him during the same summer Rasmus Hojlund joined. Since then, though, Ferguson hasn’t quite hit those early heights.

Brighton have since sent him on loan to Roma. The Serie A side hold a £32m option to buy next summer, which could look like good value if he develops as expected.

Ferguson made his debut in a pre-season friendly on Thursday and scored four times while also providing an assist.

Even though Unipomezia are just a lower-league Italian side, Ferguson’s finishing stood out – especially when compared to Hojlund’s struggles against Hong Kong earlier in the day.

Why Manchester United should have brought Evan Ferguson on loan this summer

While Ferguson may not be the £100m player he was once projected to become, bringing him in on loan would have been a low-risk move for a team in such need of goals.

Back in 2024, reports emerged that Sir Jim Ratcliffe saw Ferguson as a smart long-term investment rather than just a short-term fix, making the price tag less daunting.

Even at just 20 years old, his potential remains high. What he’s really lacking is confidence – something Brighton couldn’t offer him during his difficult spell.

Ferguson grew up admiring Wayne Rooney, which means joining Manchester United would likely be meaningful for him and could provide the kind of motivation needed to find his form again under Amorim.

The young striker already has the technical edge over Hojlund and has shown signs of being a more natural finisher. With the right service at Old Trafford, there’s reason to believe he’d thrive under Amorim’s attack.

If Ferguson does well at Roma and Serie A side trigger their £32m buy option, it could end up looking like a missed opportunity for United. There’s still time for that story to change though.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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