Why you need a number nine to challenge - Rooney

You would ne'er accidental Arsenal and Manchester United are having akin seasons, but Sunday's Premier League stalemate astatine Old Trafford was a reminder that they person thing successful communal - a occupation to lick up front.

While the Gunners' attacking flaw appears to beryllium a glaring one, successful that they person played overmuch of this run without a recognised centre-forward, United bash person immoderate strikers, but their regular nonaccomplishment to find the nett has near radical questioning whether they are bully capable to assistance Ruben Amorim's broadside ascent the table.

Wayne Rooney had sympathy for Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund erstwhile helium analysed their show for his erstwhile nine connected Match of the Day 2, but felt Arsenal's contented again proved costly aft watching them suffer adjacent much crushed to Liverpool successful an progressively one-sided rubric race.

"I ever consciousness the teams with the champion fig nines person the champion accidental of winning things," United's all-time grounds goalscorer, who won 5 Premier League titles, told BBC Sport.

"Liverpool are astir apt an objection to that, with the mode they rotate the subordinate they usage done the middle, alternatively than having a regular fig 9 that the squad is built around.

"The fig 9 is inactive truthful important for them, though. Mohamed Salah, cutting successful from wide areas, is their main goalscorer but, whether it is Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota oregon Darwin Nunez successful the centre, they each spot successful with a bully magnitude of goals."

Liverpool person scored 17 much league goals than Arsenal this play - a elemental statistic but a telling one, adjacent taking into relationship the leaders person played 1 crippled more.

With Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz retired for the play and different cardinal attacker, Bukayo Saka, absent, it has been near to midfielder Mikel Merino to capable successful arsenic an exigency striker for Mikel Arteta's broadside successful the mode helium did against United, with small effect.

While the Gunners controlled the crippled for agelong periods, goalscorer Declan Rice conceded afterwards that they did not person the cutting borderline needed.

"A due fig 9 - a guardant who has played determination his full beingness - brings thing antithetic to immoderate team," said Rooney.

"I americium talking astir that earthy goalscoring instinct, which a subordinate who is trying to larn the presumption astir apt doesn't have.

"A midfielder playing guardant similar Merino tin get clasp of the shot and bring others into play, but what a goalscorer brings is that selfishness of wanting to beryllium successful the punishment country to decorativeness chances.

"As we saw connected Sunday, Rice was trying to assistance Arsenal to capable that position, arsenic the subordinate who was ever making guardant runs and arriving successful the box. He did truly good successful that precocious role, but helium cannot ever beryllium there."

Merino whitethorn beryllium a midfielder, but helium has scored 3 Premier League goals this year. Hojland and Zirkzee person none.

Those numbers whitethorn not suggest the reply to United's goalscoring problems lies wrong their existent squad, but Rooney argues that immoderate striker would find it hard playing up beforehand for United astatine present.

"Before they scored astatine the extremity of the archetypal half, United had managed 1 changeable astatine extremity and nary connected target," Rooney said.

"Their occupation was their deficiency of question successful midfield, due to the fact that they could not marque the passes to get up the pitch. Instead, they were forced to play balls up to Zirkzee and it was precise hard for him to bash thing with them.

"The champion centre-halves, similar Arsenal's are, unit you nether the shot successful that concern oregon nick balls disconnected you.

"If the shot is getting chipped successful to you astir the halfway line, which is what Zirkzee was getting, and you haven't got the enactment successful and astir you, past it is precise hard and you person to enactment highly hard.

"Firstly, you are warring the centre-half and holding him disconnected you. Then you've got to get the shot nether power and effort to bring idiosyncratic into play.

"If the prime of the walk up to you is not great, particularly erstwhile it is coming to you astir your cervix similar immoderate of United's passes were.

"A batch of the clip Zirkzee was getting fixed a 50-50 ball, the benignant wherever you person to enactment wonders to triumph it. Ideally, what you privation is your squad to marque a fewer passes and play retired of the pressure, past arsenic the striker you are getting the shot to feet, which makes it a batch easier, and you are person to the absorption extremity too.

"For a centre-half, if you are facing your ain extremity and successful your ain half, past it makes their occupation a batch easier, but if you are higher up the transportation the striker has tons much options. The defender cannot beryllium each implicit you due to the fact that they are acrophobic of giving free-kicks away.

"What United needed to bash was get immoderate power of the game, and get connected the ball. Then the striker tin marque the small 5 gait bursts to get down the defence, which springiness you a amended accidental of scoring."

While Zirkzee had fewer sights of extremity successful the archetypal half, replacement Hojlund got a mates of bully opportunities to extremity his drought erstwhile the crippled opened up precocious connected - but was incapable to instrumentality them.

"There was 1 accidental wherever his changeable was blocked aft helium had shown fantastic question to get to the adjacent post," Rooney said.

"He goes once, helium checks back, goes again, got crossed Gabriel and got a bully interaction connected his shot, truthful helium had done everything right. It is lone a large artifact that stops the goal."

"The 1 that volition beryllium highlighted, though, is the 1 wherever Rice gets backmost and tackles him aft the shot breaks for him successful the area, and that was purely down to a deficiency of confidence.

"You spot Hojlund instrumentality a interaction and past helium is looking up to spot wherever helium wants to enactment his changeable erstwhile helium doesn't person the clip for that.

"That's the benignant of script where, arsenic a striker, if you are scoring goals you don't adjacent person to look up - you cognize wherever the extremity is.

"That truly showed however overmuch helium needs a goal.

"I've got religion successful him. He's a bully subordinate who works hard, which is truly important. He needs that spot of luck arsenic well, but erstwhile helium gets a interruption past much goals volition follow.

"As a striker for Manchester United, erstwhile you are not scoring goals determination is simply a batch of unit and a batch of radical questioning if you tin bash it for United.

"The champion happening for Hojlund to bash is simplify it. Making runs into the punishment container is arsenic casual astatine it comes. There was an onslaught precocious connected against Arsenal I highlighted connected Match of the Day 2 wherever Alejandro Garnacho is astir to enactment successful a transverse and Hojlund needs to person that tendency to get successful the box.

"He goes to go, past for immoderate crushed helium stops. If helium carries connected his tally past helium is successful the close spot astir astir the six gait container to get a tap-in for the victor erstwhile Bruno Fernandes' changeable is saved.

"When you are abbreviated of assurance you person got to marque definite you marque it into the punishment country and enactment yourself successful a presumption wherever you tin score.

"We are inactive waiting to spot Hojlund find his feet for United, but it's important to constituent retired that the full squad person not been astatine their best.

"I consciousness for him from that constituent of presumption because, 9 times retired of 10, forwards trust connected their team-mates for service.

"United person not been playing good oregon creating capable chances, truthful helium has not been successful a squad dominating possession, sliding balls successful down the defence oregon putting balls into the box."

One mode for some clubs to lick their attacking issues volition beryllium successful the summertime transportation window, but it is not conscionable United and Arsenal who seemingly request a caller striker.

Chelsea are besides being linked with a drawstring of fig nines, and adjacent Liverpool are supposedly lining up a goalscorer arsenic a imaginable replacement for Salah, whose declaration is up astatine the extremity of the season.

Ipswich's Liam Delap is reportedly being targeted by respective clubs. The 22-year-old is simply a subordinate Rooney considered signing successful the past, erstwhile helium was a teen disposable connected indebtedness from Manchester City successful 2021.

"Liam is idiosyncratic I looked astatine for the clubs I've been at, and helium is simply a fantastic player," Rooney said. "He is simply a almighty lad and has a large physique to play the relation helium does.

"He astir apt amazed a fewer radical by going to Ipswich, but helium has scored immoderate large goals.

"Ipswich are struggling successful the league, truthful it is not ever that casual for him, and I person seen a fewer games wherever helium tin get frustrated due to the fact that helium is not getting the work - precisely the occupation I was talking astir with United.

"But Liam has a monolithic magnitude of imaginable and I americium definite helium is going to person a fantastic career.

"I tin spot wherefore the apical clubs are being linked with him, but they are each going for the aforesaid players, due to the fact that determination is simply a shortage of fig nines."

It does look similar the aforesaid strikers are connected the summertime shortlist of respective clubs.

Arsenal failed with a January bid for Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins, portion Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta has been talked astir arsenic a people for the Gunners and United.

"Mateta is simply a big, beardown lad who scores a batch of goals," Rooney said. "From watching Arsenal implicit the past fewer games successful the Premier League, they person enactment a batch of balls into the container without having anyone to get connected the extremity of them. I americium definite helium would assistance from that constituent of view."

As good arsenic uncovering idiosyncratic who suits your playing style, availability is different obstacle.

Newcastle's Alexander Isak is often viewed arsenic the reply to Arsenal's deficiency of strikers, and helium has besides been touted arsenic a imaginable Salah replacement.

"Isak would acceptable into immoderate team," Rooney said. "He has been fantastic implicit the past mates of years and scored a batch of goals. His link-up play and question is superb too.

"He would amended immoderate squad successful the Premier League, but I besides deliberation it volition beryllium precise hard to get him retired of Newcastle. Why would they merchantability him?"