Manchester United are definitely light in attack following the termination of Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract by mutual consent. They were already light given that Ronaldo and Anthony Martial were the only recognised strikers in the senior squad if you class Marcus Rashford as a wide player.

For that reason, United will almost certainly need to enter the market in January to try and bring in a new striker. They may have to look at a cheaper depth option rather than a long-term target for the time being.

There are a host of really good strikers around at the moment and United could start to look like a very attractive option for some players who are looking to make the step up into the Premier League and think they can lead the line for Manchester United.

Here are some of the forwards that Manchester United should pursue to replace Cristiano Ronaldo.

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Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen looks, by many estimations, to be the ideal marquee striker signing for Manchester United. The 23-year-old has been in scintillating form for Napoli this season, scoring 10 times and getting three assists in Serie A and the Champions League.

United are known to be interested and while it would be an expensive signing, Osimhen could be a seriously successful signing for Erik ten Hag’s side.

Staying in Serie A but heading north, United could do a lot worse than to poach Lautaro Martinez from Inter given the Nerazzurri will certainly listen to offers.

Martinez is not a consistent performer but he seems to have the physicality and desire to do well in the Premier League and when he is on song, he is one of the best strikers in Europe.

This would be a more risky signing in the sense that Cody Gakpo is not an established star yet, but he seems to be supremely talented and almost joined United in the summer.

There is also a bit more scope for a deal to be done in January with PSV Eindhoven, meaning United may try to put all of their eggs in one basket after Christmas and secure the Dutchman’s signature.

Memphis Depay is a different sort of player than the others on this list but he is being heavily linked with a return to Manchester United and would be available in January.

He wants to leave Barcelona after they made it clear that he can go in the summer. At only 28, he could be a smart move to bring some more firepower down the middle before making a big signing in the summer.

It would be a big ask of a player that only just turned 18, but Manchester United may want to snap up the signing of Youssoufa Moukoko before anyone else does.

The Borussia Dortmund striker looks to be a star in the making and Ten Hag may welcome the task of nurturing his talent.

This would be another move with the future in mind, but Benfica’s 21-year-old Goncalo Ramos is set to become a very expensive player in the near future.

He has been in brilliant form in the Primeira Liga and is likely to get some minutes at the World Cup. At 21, he may be ready to lead the line for United if faith is shown in him.

Juventus spent just over £62m on Dusan Vlahovic but they have not been able to construct a squad around him that can win any major trophies.

The Serbian is a deeply talented forward who is full of desire and if Juventus continue to underwhelm, he could find himself wanting a new place to play his football.

A more rogue shout, but Armando Broja is a very talented footballer and it does not seem like Graham Potter is willing to give him the minutes that he needs at Chelsea.

A move to United would come with some risks, but there is a player there who could be available for much cheaper than some of the others on this list.