Texas [US], July 27 : Manchester United head coach Erik Ten Hag emphasized the need of signing a striker after Real Madrid inflicted 2-0 defeat in the pre-season tour on Thursday at the NRG Stadium.
The Red Devils created a handful of chances against the Spanish Giants, but the lack of sharpness in the final third of the pitch prevented them from featuring in the scoresheet.
After the match, the Dutch manager was questioned about the requirement of a striker to which he replied "Absolutely."
"There were two things - the pressing can be better from the start, and scoring goals. I think we need more players who are capable to be in the one-on-ones and we had the situations of one-on-ones. It was (Marcus) Rashford, it was, I thought, Scott McTominay in one-on-one situations. Garnacho, a one-on-one situation. From the situations, you have to score," Ten Hag said, as quoted by Sky Sports.
United are trying to sign Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund, with the talks over a potential deal already underway, Sky Sports said. If the deal falls apart due to any circumstance or reason, they have other possible replacements lined up as well.
The Old Trafford side have already secured the signatures of Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount and Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana in this summer transfer window. Onana made his debut for the Manchester club on Thursday in their 2-0 defeat against Real Madrid.
Coming to the match, in the first half, Real Madrid's new signing Jude Bellingham scored in the sixth minute of the match with a clever chip over the goalkeeper of Manchester United.
Manchester United tried their best to score a goal in the first half but they were denied every time by Madrid's rock-solid defence.
The match seemed to be heading towards a 1-0 win for Madrid but in the 89th minute of the match, another Real Madrid's new signing scored for them.
Joselu struck an incredible bicycle kick from the six-yard box to seal the game for Real Madrid. The red devils will look to gain some momentum before playing their first Premier League match of the 2023/24 campaign against Dortmund on Monday at the Allegiant Stadium.
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