Man Utd can forget Tel by unleashing "ridiculous" teen Hojlund replacement

Manchester United came agonizingly close to signing Mathys Tel this January transfer window.

The French winger ended up moving on loan to Tottenham Hotspur on transfer deadline day. That is a deal that could be extended beyond the end of the season because the North Londoners have a buy clause worth £45m.

It was frustrating for the Red Devils to miss out on Tel, which is reportedly because they didn’t want to pay the £5m loan fee requested by Bayern Munich. The Red Devils are certainly looking light in attacking areas, given they loaned out Marcus Rashford to Aston Villa and Antony to Real Betis.

There are only two centre-forwards in the Red Devils squad now, Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund. The latter has really struggled for form this season.

Rasmus Hojlund’s form in 2024/25

It has been a really lacklustre campaign in 2024/25 so far for Hojlund. The Dane has managed seven goals and has one assist to his name in 30 games this term, although five of those have come in eight Europa League games.

In 19 top-flight appearances this term, the 22-year-old has scored just two goals, playing 1116 minutes, equal to 12 full 90-minute games. It has been a really poor season in front of goal for the former Atlanta star.

Last term, his debut season at Old Trafford, he got off to a slow start. Hojlund did not score in the Premier League until Boxing Day, but then he could not stop finding the back of the net. He netted seven goals in six games, a run which saw him become the youngest Premier League player to score in six consecutive Premier League games.

Whilst the Dane has shown flashes of brilliance in that famous Red shirt of United, there is heaps of pressure on him to deliver as the first-choice number nine at Old Trafford. He has come under criticism from the likes of Jamies Carragher, who asked “what does he do?” at the end of last season.

With United missing out on Tel, and Hojlund struggling for consistency, manager Ruben Amorim might have to turn to the academy to resolve the goal drought. Luckily, he might have someone waiting in the wings who can add some goals.

Amorim must unleash Man Utd academy star

The youngster in question here is Gabriele Biancheri. The highly rated youngster has made a big impact on United’s academy since making the move from Cardiff City in February 2023. He was actually reportedly a target for Italian side Como this January, but the Red Devils turned down the approach.

That was certainly for a good reason. Biancheri has been simply sensational for the United academy this season, with football statistician Statman Dave describing his contributions at the start of the season as “ridiculous”.

In 17 games across all competitions for Red Devils academy sides, the Wales U19 star has scored 16 goals and grabbed one assist. The centre-forward has played just 816 minutes, the equivalent of nine full 90-minute games, meaning he averages 1.88 goal involvements per 90.

Biancheri record per competition for United academy 2024/25
Competition	Games	Minutes	Goals
U18s Premier League	6	403	8
Premier League 2	5	194	2
UEFA Youth League	4	124	3
EFL Trophy	1	5	0
FA Youth Cup	1	90	3
Stats from Transfermarkt

Perhaps his best contribution this season came against Coventry City in the FA Youth Cup. The striker scored a hat-trick and grabbed an assist in a 5-0 win, to see United safely through to the next round against Preston North End, which they also won.

The Welshman has recently been sidelined with injury, although there is certainly a fair shout that he makes his first team debut this season. United have not exactly been prolific in front of goal, and Biancheri would bring youth and hunger to prove himself, as well as being in fine form.

If the season continues on a downward trend for the Red Devils, perhaps a debut for Biancheri is not too far off, at the very least to give him exposure in the first team.