Liam Delap may be one of the highest scoring Englishmen in the Premier League – but it’s too soon for him to be leading Manchester United’s line.
That’s the view of ex-Ipswich Town centre-forward Darren Bent, who believes the Red Devils cannot be burdened by two young strikers with similar profiles.
Delap has starred for the Tractor Boys in their first season back in the top-flight since 2002, but was ultimately powerless to stop their relegation back to the Championship.
With 12 Premier League goals this term, Cole Palmer [15] and Ollie Watkins [16] are the only Englishmen that have banged in more.
His impressive displays have caught the eye of a number of clubs, with United and Chelsea believed to be huge admirers.
And with the 22-year-old boasting a £30million relegation release clause in his contract, he’s an attractive option for teams not looking to break the bank.
talkSPORT understands that the ex-Manchester City forward – son of Stoke icon Rory – prefers a move to the Theatre of Dreams this summer.
He has outperformed both of United’s current strikers in Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, who have mustered just four and three Premier League goals respectively this term.
However, when discussing Delap on talkSPORT Drive, co-hosts Andy Goldstein and Bent questioned whether United should look elsewhere due to his age, while also boasting similar characteristics to Hojlund.
Having his say on United potentially signing the youngster, who is already Ipswich’s fifth all-time top scorer in the Premier League, Bent quipped: “Double Hojlund, yeah?”
Avid United fan Goldstein then argued why he doesn’t want to see the former Hull loan star make the move to Old Trafford.
He stated: “I think he’s a really good player, I don’t think he’s the finished article just yet.
“And we’ve got a Liam Delap [Hojlund], and it’s not working at the minute, we’ve got a Liam Delap.
“I think two of them is not the answer, we need a big name, like for argument’s sake, a Harry Kane and a Rasmus Hojlund, or Harry Kane and a Liam Delap.
“I just don’t think Liam Delap and Rasmus Hojlund for Man United – they’re so far away from where they need to be – I don’t think that’s the answer.”
It was a view shared by Bent, who proceeded to explain why he doesn’t believe Delap should be United’s priority in the upcoming window.
He remarked: “I agree. You’re talking about 16 Premier League goals between them, four for Rasmus and 12 for Liam.
“Listen, I’m a big fan of his, I’ve watched him week in, week out, of course he’s improved so much.
“The confidence that he’s got in his own ability, the confidence he’s got to go up against anybody, he won’t get overawed by anyone.
“But I think you’re right, what you don’t want is to have two young centre-forwards – this is still his first full season in the Premier League.
“To go from Ipswich Town, who were in the Championship last season, to Manchester United, and be expected to lead the line and score the goals.
“Listen, it might work, I think he’s got the confidence in himself to be able to do it, but you’re right, there’s going to be dips in his form.
“There’s going to be goal droughts in his form and that’s where you need the maybe older statesmen to kind of go, ‘Right, this is how you learn.’
“Kind of someone like a [Jamie] Vardy to learn him off, but to have two [young strikers], that would be a little bit of a concern for me.
“Because we’ve seen Rasmus this season really struggling in the Premier League and has no-one to lean on for advice, a bit of confidence.
“So then if you add Liam as well, you’re almost making the same mistake again – even though it’s not a mistake because they’re both good players.
“I think you need a more experienced centre-forward and then you maybe bring in Liam Delap.
“He might feel that Man United is the good fit for himself, he might prefer Man United because I’m guessing it’s about [first team] opportunities.
“He might look at Chelsea and think, ‘Nicolas Jackson, probably going to play a lot more than I am.’
“Arsenal, I’m not quite sure about the [Kai] Havertz situation.
“He’s probably looking at United and going, ‘Well they’re a top club, I know they’re going through a bit of a bad time, but they’re a top club and I’m going up against Hojlund.’
“He’s obviously going to fancy himself to play games if Man United phone him.
“He’s looking at it and thinking, out of all the options he might have on the table, ‘Where am I going to go in and play instantly straight away?,’ and that’s probably going to be United.”
Though Bent and Goldstein declared that if United lose to Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final – ruling out Champions League football term – Delap may be their only option with players unwilling to join a club that won’t be competing in Europe.
