With the FA Cup final looming large, Manchester United have been dealt a frustrating setback following the loss of Anthony Martial to injury, with the long-serving Frenchman having been ruled out of the trip to Wembley due to a hamstring issue.
Having already missed 27 games this season through injury, the 27-year-old will yet again be restricted to watching brief on Saturday, leaving manager Erik ten Hag with only Wout Weghorst as a genuine, centre-forward option.
That inability to remain fit and firing in recent years is no doubt a factor in the reports that United are believed to be open to selling Martial this summer, with the former Monaco man having now scored just 11 Premier League goals since the start of the 2020/21 campaign.
The £36m addition has also gone over two years without completing 90 minutes in the top-flight, with Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst revealing that the misfiring marksman last achieved that feat back in January 2021.
To think that the £250k-per-week asset remains United's main centre-forward pick despite those woes is a poor reflection on the club's recruitment, with the 30-cap dud simply unable to take the club where they want to go, as treble winner Teddy Sheringham summated back in 2020:
"Manchester United won’t win the title with Anthony Martial as their number nine."
With that in mind, speculation is rife that Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane is the leading target to ease the Old Trafford outfit's striking woes, albeit with MEN reporting that the club have also identified alternative targets to the England skipper, such as Benfica's Goncalo Ramos.
This follows a report from Football Insider that claimed Ten Hag and co were 'plotting' a move for the Portuguese sensation, with a fee of around £70m having been mooted.
Should Man United sign Goncalo Ramos?
While Ten Hag has repeatedly stated that United play their "best football" with Martial in the side, the problem has been actually having the 5 foot 11 dynamo available for selection, hence the need to acquire a suitable replacement.
In Ramos then, the former Ajax boss would be able to find just that, with the 21-year-old having showcased his goalscoring prowess for both club and country in his recent years.
After previously posting "outrageous" numbers for Benfica's 'B' team – as per talent scout Jacek Kulig – the 6 foot 1 machine went on to score eight goals in what was a breakout 2021/22 campaign.
Following that respectable tally, the emerging superstar has since caught the eye after contributing 39 goals and assists in 47 games across all fronts – a far superior record to what Martial has achieved (12 goal contributions in 29 outings).
The youngster has also made his mark on the international scene after scoring four goals in just seven appearances for his country to date, notably bagging a hat-trick against Switzerland at the World Cup back in December after replacing Cristiano Ronaldo in the starting lineup.
While his tally of 12 assists this season would suggest that Ramos is also a creative outlet, the Olhao native's real asset is his ability to come alive inside the 18-yard box, as he has averaged 6.31 touches in the attacking penalty area per 90 across the last 365 days, while Martial, by contrast, has averaged just 4.65 in that regard.
With United evidently in need of a more clinical attacking presence – having only been the eighth-highest scorers in the Premier League with 58 goals – the addition of Ramos could be just what Ten Hag is after.
If that deal can be pulled off over the coming weeks and months, it really could be bye bye Martial…