Szeszko demonstrates Manchester United's firm transfer principle! They want a focal point but did not use Maguire; Amolin has his reasons.

After his €85 million move to Manchester United, striker Szeszko has not yet shown exceptional form. During the game against Nottingham Forest, his performance was poor, yet he remained on the pitch throughout, drawing criticism towards Rúben Amolin’s decisions. Nonetheless, insiders indicate that Manchester United expected the young 22-year-old Slovenian striker to take time to adapt, and his current form has solidified the club's transfer approach going forward.

Many of Manchester United’s expensive signings who have struggled at Old Trafford share a common trait: they all arrived from foreign leagues. For example, Sancho came from the Bundesliga, Højlund from Serie A, and Antony from the Eredivisie. With Szeszko’s current situation, the club plans to prioritize recruitment from within English football in the future.

Mbemo, who joined alongside Szeszko, has already become the team’s leading scorer, while Cunha, despite not scoring many goals, plays a significant role on the field. In comparison, Szeszko has scored only two goals in 11 appearances, and his position in the squad is less secure than that of the other new signings.

In the match against Nottingham Forest, Szeszko had several good chances but failed to get a single shot on target. On one occasion, the opponent made a high clearance, giving him a one-on-one opportunity, but his control sent the ball straight to the goalkeeper. Manchester United legend Gary Neville commented: "I haven’t formed a final opinion on him yet. Compared to other forwards signed this summer like Cunha and Mbemo, he is still far from reaching their level. He looks awkward; in the first half, he had a few good chances where the ball was played over him, but his touches were off. For £80 million, you can say he is young, has great potential, and is still adapting, but people expect to see more from him."

Dean Jones, a Premier League transfer expert from "TEAMtalk," stated that Manchester United is not surprised by Szeszko’s situation. "The performances of Cunha and Mbemo compared to Szeszko help explain why Manchester United considers signing players from within the Premier League a more favorable strategy," Jones said. "They clearly point out that Mbemo and Cunha’s characteristics and statistics are repeatable and consistent. So far, Szeszko’s performance has lagged behind these two, which was somewhat expected."

Jones further emphasized that Manchester United will continue to prioritize signing players with Premier League experience in future transfer windows. He explained: "That’s why Manchester United keeps an eye on consistently performing players like Semedo, as well as players like Nottingham Forest’s Elliott Anderson. Like Cunha and Mbemo, they play for smaller clubs, which is also important. Of course, the issue with any Premier League signing is the premium on transfer fees."

In the 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest, Amolin made only two substitutions and explained his decision to keep Szeszko on the field by saying that only Szeszko could serve as a focal point upfront, something that Zirkzee, Mason Mount, and Cody Meno could not provide.

However, some questioned why Maguire wasn’t brought on to play as a makeshift striker. Over the past year, Amolin has often relied on the £80 million defender when United needed goals because of his excellent heading ability, frequently scoring crucial goals, such as the winner against Liverpool.

The Sun reported that Amolin did not field Maguire because he was recovering from injury and the club didn’t want to take any risks. He had hoped Maguire could play against Nottingham Forest to possibly prevent conceding goals from headers. However, the club is said to be extremely cautious about Maguire’s return to ensure Amolin can use him in more vital matches.

Now, Amolin hopes the 32-year-old Maguire can make a comeback in the upcoming away match against Tottenham on Saturday. Given that both teams currently have the same points, a win is crucial for Manchester United’s push for a top-four finish.