Manchester United’s summer business under Ruben Amorim has begun to take shape, though there’s still a sense that a key piece of the puzzle is missing.
Despite securing deals for Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha – who scored a combined 35 league goals last season – Amorim is still pushing for another striker before the window shuts.
The attacking rebuild comes in the wake of a miserable return of just 44 Premier League goals last term, the lowest in the club’s recent top-flight history.
While patience remains in the market, insiders now believe any move for a new frontman may only materialise towards the final weeks of the window, adding pressure on short-term options to step up.
That scenario opens the door for teenage sensation Chido Obi to see more first-team action, while there were also high hopes for summer recruit Enzo Kana-Biyik to develop quickly through a well-mapped loan plan.
Enzo Kana-Biyik, who joined United earlier this month from Le Havre, was immediately sent on loan to Swiss side Lausanne Sports – one of several clubs under the Ineos umbrella.
The 18-year-old made his debut shortly after joining, playing in a 4-2 friendly victory over Etoile Carouge, and featured again last weekend in a training match against RWDM Brussels, logging 60 minutes.
However, United’s striker depth took a frustrating hit this week, with the young forward suffering an untimely injury setback in training, as per the Manchester World.
Kana-Biyik is now expected to be sidelined for “several weeks” and will miss Thursday night’s crucial Europa Conference League qualifier against FK Vardar – Lausanne’s first European fixture in 15 years.
He is also likely to sit out Sunday’s Swiss Super League season opener against FC Winterthur.
Lausanne manager Peter Zeidler, speaking ahead of the continental clash, admitted it’s a major occasion for the club and stressed the desire to start their European journey strongly: “It’s been 15 years since FC Lausanne-Sport last played in a European Cup match.
“We will give everything to start this campaign well.”
Kana-Biyik’s absence, while disappointing, is not expected to derail his long-term development, but it may slightly delay United’s hopes of fast-tracking the teenager into Amorim’s senior plans.
