According to a story in the Mirror last week, the Red Devils are interested in acquiring Brian Brobbey, a 21-year-old striker from the Eredivisie, with the club claimed to be ‘keeping eyes’ on the talented Dutchman.

Ten Hag, who gave the forward his debut in Amsterdam, is said to want to recruit a new striker this month to compete with Rasmus Hojlund and Anthony Martial, despite the fact that the club can only afford a loan.

That could scupper any approach for Brobbey, who will not be allowed to leave on a temporary basis. However, if United can raise funds for a permanent approach, they may be able to sign a player who turned them down in the summer of 2022 – after returning to Ajax after a brief spell at RB Leipzig.

Brian Brobbey’s record with Ten Hag

Brobbey’s previous departure from the Johan Cruyff Arena did not go as planned, as the 5 foot 11 marksman failed to score and supplied only three assists in 14 games for the Bundesliga side, which he joined in 2021.

While he struggled to get going during his single half-season at Leipzig, the Amsterdam native has thrived at home, with an incredible 40 goals in 101 outings across all competitions for the Dutch giants.

Brobbey had previously been prolific in the youth divisions, netting 37 goals in 41 games for Ajax’s U19 side. Ten Hag gave him the opportunity to shine at first-team level in the 2020/21 season, and he went on to score six times in just 19 games.

After returning to work under the former Utrecht coach on loan for the second half of 2021/22, the in-demand prospect scored seven more goals in just 13 appearances, bringing his total under Ten Hag to 13 goals in 32 games.

Despite frequently falling behind the more experienced Sebastian Haller, the one-cap Netherlands international had an amazing scoring rate under the current United manager, netting once per 67 minutes – he already has 13 goals in only 25 games this season.

Clearly a talent who fits seamlessly into Ten Hag’s system, there may be hope that the £49k-per-week ace will follow in the footsteps of Martinez, rather than Antony, and thrive at the Theatre of Dreams, especially given his ability to be a menacing Premier League striker.