- Man United have reportedly held face-to-face talks with a top-flight striker
- Carragher and Neville have both urged him to avoid moving to Old Trafford
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! Should Oliver Glasner leave Palace for Spurs?
Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville have both urged a rising Premier League star to avoid a summer move to Manchester United.
After a dire league campaign that sees United sitting in 16th place with one game to go, the Red Devils are looking to make a fast start in the transfer market and are closing in on signing Wolves forward Matheus Cunha for £62.5m.
They are also interested in landing a striker with a £30m release clause, and have reportedly held face-to-face talks with the player over a potential deal.
Liam Delap, 22, has been the shining light in a disappointing season for Ipswich Town, scoring 12 league goals for the relegated club, and is being monitored by several top-flight sides including United, Chelsea and Everton.
But, speaking on Monday Night Football after Brighton’s 3-2 win over Liverpool, Carragher explained why Delap should steer clear of United for now as he highlighted the struggles of Rasmus Hojlund since his £72m move from Atalanta in 2023.
‘I don’t think Delap should go to Man United,’ Carragher said. ‘What happened to Hojlund, it’s such a big step.
Ipswich striker Liam Delap has reportedly held talks with Man United over a summer move
Ruben Amorim’s side are looking to make a fast start in the transfer market after a dismal league campaign
Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville both feel Delap should not join United this summer
‘Go to Everton or a team like that and then go to Man United.’
Neville also admitted he has reservations about Delap signing for his old club.
United have spent over £100m on Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee in the last two summers, with neither proving to be consistent goalscorers, and Neville is concerned about piling the pressure on another young striker to lead the line at Old Trafford.
‘United has been a very tough place to play over the last few years,’ Neville conceded. ‘You need to be resilient, you need to be ready.
‘Hojlund came for £70m. Zirkzee came for £30m-odd. What’s going to happen with them? Jason Wilcox has worked with him [Delap] – also [Omar] Berrada at City – he’s having a big say on this. Man United is a different animal.’
Ruben Amorim’s side have netted just 42 goals in the Premier League this term – only Everton and the three relegated teams have scored fewer.
With this in mind, adding attacking players appears a priority this summer, and Cunha could be the first signing through the door in the near future.
But he looks more likely to fill one of the two positions behind the lone striker in Amorim’s preferred 3-4-2-1 formation, leaving United still looking for their next No 9.
Delap seems to be a leading candidate to take this role, but Carragher and Neville have hinted that more experience is needed.
The Red Devils have also been linked with Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, who has enjoyed a strong season on loan at Galatasaray, while Sporting Lisbon forward Viktor Gyokeres could also be reunited with Amorim after leading his side to the Portuguese title over the weekend.
