It is easy to understand why Manchester United were attracted to Liam Delap ahead of the start of this summer's transfer window. The England Under-21 international was available via a £30million release clause this summer after his first season at Ipswich Town ended in relegation to the Championship. After joining the Tractor Boys from Manchester City last summer, a £30m release clause was inserted into his contract that would become active if the Suffolk club were to fail to preserve its Premier League status. Winning just four league games all season, Kieran Mckenna's men had next to no chance of beating the drop. Delap, however, produced some eye-catching moments by plundering 12 Premier League goals in his first season as a regular starter at this level. As a result, clubs were attracted to him and held discussions about signing him. Despite the best efforts of United, Everton and Newcastle United, Delap chose Chelsea, saying their project was what convinced him to move to Stamford Bridge. It means United are now having to explore alternative avenues in their search for a No.9. United struggled for goals last season and desperately need to add a focal point to the tip of their attack that can find the back of the net on a regular basis. The club has already shown plenty of ambition in their efforts to beef up their attacking options, signing Matheus Cunha from Wolves for £62.5m and attempting to get a deal over the line for Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo. The addition of an out-and-out centre-forward, though, remains vital. United have been linked with a plethora of strikers in recent weeks, both domestically and abroad, but their financial situation will dictate who is a realistic target. At £30m, Delap was an enterprising option, but the Reds would have once again been gambling on potential in their search for a goal-getter. As respectable as Delap's haul of 12 goals was last season, he is not the finished product. United need somebody who has proven they are a reliable goalscorer over several seasons. When analysing which of the Premier League's centre-forwards from last season reached double figures, they were all north of 22-years-old with the exception of Delap. Brighton & Hove Albion's Joao Pedro and Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson were the only strikers to reach double figures in the Premier League that were as young as 23. Of the 13 recognised strikers that got into double figures for Premier League goals in 2024/25, nine of them were 25 or older. It has been a similar theme in recent seasons, too, highlighting that more experienced strikers find it easier to score goals in the Premier League in comparison to youngsters who are trying to make the grade. Of course, Manchester City's Erling Haaland is an exception to the rule, scoring 36 times in his debut Premier League campaign at the age of 22 in 2022/23, but the Norwegian is in a league of his own. His freakish record is unlike anything many of us have seen before. In the sense that Delap would have been an easy target to obtain and sign relatively quickly had others not stuck their nose in, missing out on him is a blow for United, as they have been left trying to solve a search with currently no obvious answer. However, he was not the striker they needed at this particular juncture, with the club gambling on potential two years ago in the form of Rasmus Hojlund. Signing a striker that little bit older and more experienced is the way forward this summer. For example, Yoane Wissa (28), Ollie Watkins (29) and Chris Wood (33) were three of the top five scoring strikers in the Premier League last term. United should be attempting to sign someone around the age of 26 or 27 who is about to enter their prime years. Of course, signing a striker of that profile is going to set United back in terms of spending, but they knew ahead of this summer's transfer window they would have to loosen the purse strings in search of attacking reinforcements. Any transfer has the capacity to fail or succeed, meaning nothing is a guarantee. But United's Premier League counterparts have proven they will be wiser going for a more experienced goal-getter.