Ruud van Nistelrooy is one of the best centre-forwards to ever play for Manchester United – so replacing him was always going to be difficult.
The former Netherlands international joined Real Madrid in 2006 after scoring 150 goals in 219 appearances for the Red Devils and they struggled to fill that void.
Here are the 16 out-and-out strikers United have signed since Van Nistelrooy’s departure, ranked by how well they fared at Old Trafford.
16. Angelo Henriquez
There was a lot of hype when United signed Henriquez from Universidad de Chile in 2012, and the striker was tipped for a bright future.
But he failed to make the grade in England and was sold to Dinamo Zagreb in 2015 without playing a single minute for United’s first team.
15. Manucho
Fans were bemused when United announced the signing of an unknown striker from the Angolan league following a successful trial in 2007.
Manucho managed just three first-team appearances for United before it became clear that he didn’t possess the necessary quality to challenge Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez or Louis Saha for the starting spot.
After a loan spell at Hull City, he completed a permanent move to Real Valladolid in 2009.
14. Mame Biram Diouf
Eighteen months after signing Manucho, United took a gamble on another unknown striker.
Sir Alex Ferguson hoped that he had unearthed the next Ole Gunnar Solskjaer when he bought Diouf from Molde in 2009, but it didn’t quite work out like that.
Despite scoring on his home debut, the forward only made another eight first-team appearances and was sold to Hannover 96 in 2012.
13. Radamel Falcao
Falcao was regarded as one of the best strikers in the world before his loan move to United, but he failed to match that billing with his performances in England.
The Colombia international was still recovering from a serious knee injury and his lack of fitness resulted in an underwhelming 2014-15 campaign.
After just four goals in 29 appearances, United unsurprisingly decided not to take up the £43.2million option to buy the striker.
12. Odion Ighalo
United’s frantic search for a striker in the 2020 January transfer window saw them sign Ighalo on a loan deal from Shanghai Shenhua.
The Nigeria international performed better than most people expected and scored five goals in 11 cup games, including a brilliant strike against LASK.
But he was always confined to a backup role and got just 99 minutes of Premier League action during his year-long stint at Old…
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