Looking at the strikers Erik ten Hag used during his time at Ajax for clues as to Manchester United's next move in the transfer market is a futile exercise.
Ten Hag is keen to sign a forward after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo last month and United are open to recruiting in January, if the right player becomes available. But the profile of that player is just as intriguing as his identity.
United have been linked with a variety of forwards recently, from a more traditional No. 9 such as Victor Osimhen, to someone who has barely played there in Cody Gakpo and then players who are used more as wide forwards, like Rafael Leao.
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That trio are a different profile of player and there will be more options for United, who must weigh up the benefits of making a move in January when their premier targets are only likely to be available in the summer window. Osimhen looks like being the most in-demand No. 9 in Europe in 2023, but with Napoli flying high at the top of Serie A and into the last-16 of the Champions League, he won't leave midway through the season.
When it comes to strikers, Ten Hag has shown himself to be flexible in how he constructs a forward line. In his first couple of seasons at Ajax, he alternated between Dusan Tadic as a false nine and a much more traditional centre forward in Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. He then signed Sebastien Haller from West Ham, a more physical presence, to play the role of striker in his side for the next two seasons, with the Ivory Coast international scoring 34 goals in 43 games last term.
So Ten Hag seems content to use someone who will drop a bit deeper and link play, or a more natural No. 9 who is likely to remain in the box and be a threat from crosses, like Haller was last season when Tadic moved to the left wing.
In Anthony Martial, he has a player who can do a little of both. The Frenchman is a threat playing on the shoulder of the last defender and is improving his work in the penalty area, but he's equally comfortable dropping deep and getting involved in the link-up play.
If Ten Hag wants a pure No. 9 to complement Martial then he is likely to look at someone such as Osimhen, or Benfica's Goncalo Ramos. The 21-year-old's World Cup hat-trick has put him in the spotlight and he has 14 goals in 21 games for his club so far this season.
But Ramos' is only a recent convert to the role of striker, having spent much of last season playing more of a No. 10 role behind Darwin Nunez. Last year he scored just eight goals in 46 appearances, so he's not the finished article.
Then there are the options that are not likely to be natural centre-forwards but could develop into that role and offer the forward line some more flexibility. Like Ramos, Gakpo's stock rose during the World Cup.
He played a more central position for Holland in Qatar but his 13 goals and 17 assists for PSV Eindoven this season have all come in 24 games on the left of the front three. At 6'2" he has the potential to become a striker, but would be more of a project as a forward and is likely to continue dropping deep and drifting out wide, rather than leading the line.
Another player that Ten Hag knows well and is known to admire is Mohammed Kudus. The 22-year-old also had a good World Cup and worked with the current United boss at Ajax, playing as a midfielder in his 24 appearances last season.
But this term 14 of his 21 games have been as a false nine, a role he played in five of Ajax's six Champions League group games. He's scored eight goals in those games, four of them coming in the Champions League.
Kudus would offer plenty of positional flexibility, but he is very much a drop-deep and link-the-play kind of forward, rather than a No. 9 who can act as a target man and occupy defenders. His game is very different to that of Osimhen, for example.
This is part of the balance United must strike in their search for a new forward. Not only what kind of profile does Ten Hag want, but who is likely to be available next month. So far, United's manager has shown no obvious preference for a particular type of striker.
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