Manchester United's striker shake-up with Alvaro Morata the top target as Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Anthony Martial face anxious wait

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After making Benfica defender Victor Lindelof their first signing of the summer, Manchester United’s thoughts have returned to their attack and just how they will revamp a forward line that was significantly less potent than their rivals last season.

Jose Mourinho’s side were over-reliant on Zlatan Ibrahimovic and scored more than 30 fewer goals than the top two clubs, Chelsea and Tottenham.

Mourinho was already planning changes before Ibrahimovic suffered the knee injury that has almost certainly ended his Old Trafford career, with two world-class strikers high on his wish list. 

However, more than a month after the Europa League win over Ajax signalled the end of Mourinho’s first season in charge, those plans remain up in the air.

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho faces a big summer as he aims to strengthen his attack

Alvaro Morata (pictured) and Romelu Lukaku are leading candidates to move to Old Trafford

Will United be happy with how it has gone so far?

Probably not. They wanted two forwards – a No 9 to replace Ibrahimovic and a second striker to play off him.

Romelu Lukaku was earmarked for the first role and United are able to pay the £100million transfer fee, but it soon became apparent that the big Everton striker favours a return to Chelsea.

Alvaro Morata is the other leading candidate and it would appear as though there is more chance of him moving to Old Trafford.

It has become apparent that Everton striker Lukaku favours a return to Chelsea this summer

Mourinho is a big admirer of the Spaniard from their time together at Real Madrid, although Morata seems in no hurry to leave the Bernabeu at the moment.

In terms of a second striker, Antoine Griezmann was the man United wanted but it was perhaps no coincidence the club cooled their interest just as it became clear that the Frenchman had decided to stay with Atletico Madrid. Griezmann has since signed a new contract in Spain, killing off any hope of a move to Old Trafford.

Mourinho must now look at alternative targets or find a way to work with the options he already has in the squad.

Is there any chance of Ibrahimovic staying at United?

It seems very unlikely. The Swedish star was a smash hit in England and would have improved his record of 28 goals had he not suffered the knee injury against Anderlecht in April.

But United simply couldn’t commit themselves to a contract extension for a player who earns £368,000 a week before bonuses and might not be fit again until mid-season.

Ibrahimovic had a hugely positive impact on United but there were also concerns that his presence encouraged the team to play in a slower, more predictable way. It was only after his injury that we saw the best of Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard and, to an extent, Antony Martial.

It seems very unlikely Zlatan Ibrahimovic will stay after suffering a serious knee injury

Ibrahimovic remains on good terms with United and the club are allowing him to continue his rehabilitation at Carrington, but he was left off the retained list earlier this month and is looking for another team.

In the unlikely event that doesn’t happen and he returns to full fitness sooner than expected, then who knows? But it would be a big surprise if Zlatan played for United again.

What about Wayne Rooney? Could he still stay?

At the end of last season, the answer would have been no. It was clear that Rooney was surplus to requirements after 13 years at Old Trafford, and the player himself was unhappy at having to play a bit-part role under Mourinho. That remains the case and would normally point a player towards the exit.

The complication here, however, is that Rooney and his advisers are having trouble finding a suitable club prepared to pay anywhere near his current £250,000-a-week salary. The options in China and the United States are understood to be more limited than first thought, and even if his old club Everton followed up their interest, Rooney would have to take a pay cut of at least £100,000 a week.

Club caption Wayne Rooney could potentially walk out the United exit door this window

His stock has fallen to such an extent that the prospect of seeing out the final year of his contract at United has now become a genuine possibility. It is not what United or Rooney really want, but few people envisaged this situation just five months after he became the club’s all-time record goalscorer.

It’s still hard to imagine Rooney playing for United again, but the players are due to report for pre-season training soon and there is no sign of the impasse coming to an end.

What’s happening with Martial?

The young Frenchman was one of the few success stories of Louis van Gaal’s time in charge, finishing as United’s leading scorer in the Dutchman’s second and final season.

However, Martial was marginalised from the moment Ibrahimovic walked into Old Trafford last summer. He lost his iconic No 9 jersey to the Swede and was shunted out to the flanks by Mourinho who made no secret of his frustration at the player’s attitude.

Anthony Martial fell out of favour working under Portuguese manager Mourinho last season

As a result, Martial endured a stop-start season and never really got into full flow. It was perhaps no surprise to hear his agent mention a loan move to Sevilla in January, and now talk has emerged of Arsenal bidding for him if they fail to sign Kylian Mbappe from his old club Monaco.

There is no appetite at United to sell Martial, who became the world’s most expensive teenager when he was signed for a fee of £36m, rising to a possible £58m, two years ago and he remains popular among supporters.

But clearly there is tension between Mourinho and Martial, and that is something that needs to be resolved or the speculation will not go away.