Manchester United Pursues Experienced No.9: Welbeck and Toney in Focus
Manchester United’s summer rebuild is starting to take shape, and the next piece on the board looks increasingly likely to be an experienced centre-forward.
With Atalanta midfielder Ederson set to become the club’s first signing of the window — even if the official announcement is still pending — the focus at Old Trafford is widening. INEOS and sporting director Jason Wilcox are driving a squad reset that stretches well beyond midfield, and the search for a seasoned No.9 is gathering pace.
From Thiago talk to a new shortlist
Earlier in the summer, Brentford’s Igor Thiago sat firmly on United’s radar. Ben Jacobs revealed in July that the Brazilian, who finished last season with the second-highest goal tally in the Premier League, had been monitored as a possible option if Joshua Zirkzee were to move on.
At that stage, United’s thinking was clear: explore the market for strikers with a bit more mileage, but keep a couple of younger exceptions like Thiago in mind in case the situation around Zirkzee changed.
That tone has shifted.
In Jacobs’ latest update, Thiago’s name disappears from the conversation. Instead, two very different but equally familiar figures have come into focus: Brighton’s Danny Welbeck and Al-Ahli’s Ivan Toney.
United want experience – and influence
Speaking on The United Stand, Jacobs outlined what United are really looking for at the top end of the pitch.
“My feeling is that if they go for a number nine, it will more likely be an experienced name and somebody that can really be a strong positive dressing room influence,” he explained. The brief is specific: a forward who understands a long, unforgiving season, accepts that he “maybe won’t play every single game,” and still embraces that role in a squad aiming to compete on multiple fronts.
This isn’t about blocking pathways. It’s about ballast. A senior striker who can steady the group, support the younger attackers, and step in when the schedule bites.
Welbeck, a product of United’s own academy and still a popular figure among supporters, naturally fits that narrative. The idea of bringing him back has been floated before, and Jacobs acknowledged its appeal: “We have spoken before about how popular it might be to bring someone back like Danny Welbeck.”
The romance is obvious. The reality is harder. “Nothing is necessarily developing there yet,” Jacobs cautioned, and Brighton are not believed to be in any rush to sell a player who remains useful on and off the pitch.
Toney’s goals, Saudi wages, and a big decision
If Welbeck is the sentimental option, Ivan Toney is the headline one.
The former Brentford striker, now at Al-Ahli and a past England World Cup squad member, has been prolific in Saudi Arabia. Thirty-two goals in 32 Saudi Pro League matches is the kind of return that makes any elite club take notice, and United are no exception.
“Ivan Toney is a name that I’ve mentioned before, who Man United appreciate,” Jacobs said, confirming that admiration has not cooled.
The obstacle is obvious and expensive: wages. Toney is earning heavily in Saudi Arabia, and any move back to Europe would require a serious financial recalibration. That is before transfer fees and the broader structure of United’s summer budget are even considered.
“Wage is partially an issue there because he’s earning well in Saudi Arabia,” Jacobs noted. The timing could be crucial. “Let’s see what happens after the World Cup with Toney and if he is prepared to leave Saudi because despite constant rumours that he wants out, I’ve always been told that at football level and family level, he’s quite happy there.”
So United watch. They wait. And they weigh up whether the combination of experience, goals, and personality is worth pushing through those financial barriers.
A crowded to-do list at Old Trafford
All of this unfolds against a busy backdrop.
Ederson’s arrival is just the start of a midfield overhaul, with one or two more additions planned as Michael Carrick reshapes the heart of the team. A new left-back and a left-winger sit high on the agenda, while a centre-back and a centre-forward remain live possibilities if the budget stretches.
The profile of that striker, though, feels increasingly locked in. Not a project. Not a raw talent to be nurtured slowly. A grown-up centre-forward who can handle the spotlight, accept a rotational role, and still drag standards up in the dressing room.
Whether that ends up being a returning Welbeck, a big-money move for Toney, or another experienced name from the shadows of United’s shortlist, one thing is clear: this time, the No.9 is being signed as much for what he brings from Monday to Friday as for what he produces on a Saturday.
