Manchester United have no doubt made steady improvement under Erik ten Hag so far this season, although one issue that remains for the Dutchman heading into the World Cup break is the club's attack, with goals having been in short supply thus far - scoring just 20 times in the Premier League to date.

While they did hit four past Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup in midweek, that was seemingly an anomaly rather than the norm for the Old Trafford outfit, with the forward line having been a "problem" this term, as per Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst.

The lack of a reliable centre-forward presence, in particular, has been a notable frustration for the Old Trafford outfit, with the injury woes of Anthony Martial having left the club reliant on an ageing Cristiano Ronaldo to lead the line, with the 37-year-old icon having scored just three times this season.

With speculation rife that the Portugal international will depart in January - a fact only exacerbated by his recent refusal to come off the bench against Tottenham Hotspur a few weeks ago and an explosive interview with Piers Morgan - it looks as if United will be in need of a replacement, with Brentford's Ivan Toney one man who could potentially fill that void.

Various reports in recent times have suggested that the 26-year-old - who was reportedly valued at around £50m over the summer - is of interest to those at the Theatre of Dreams, with the Englishman having sparkled in the top-flight in recent times.

Having worked his way up from the lower leagues following a failed spell at Newcastle United - where the dynamic marksman made just four senior appearances - the £21k-per-week ace truly came to wider attention after bagging 33 goals in the second tier with the Bees during the 2020/21 campaign.

That hot streak had helped to propel Thomas Frank's side into the promised land, with Toney having gone on to make light work of the step-up, scoring 22 goals in just 47 league games since the start of the 2021/22 season, as well as providing seven assists.

After netting 12 goals in the entire campaign last term, the highly-rated "machine" - as previously dubbed by journalist Phil Spencer- has already scored ten goals in just 14 league games this time around, with that tally only bettered by Harry Kane (12) and Erling Haaland (18) in the division.

Such prolific form has showcased that the striker's talents have perhaps been "underrated", according to Statman Dave, with Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate notably overlooking the Northampton-born sensation from his 26-man squad for Qatar.

The former Peterborough man responded to that snub in ideal fashion at the weekend, however, having already got in the good books of his potential future employers - United - by scoring twice in the shock victory over Manchester City at the Etihad.

The Red Devils themselves also saw that talent up close earlier this season as the in-form hotshot was integral in the 4-0 drubbing of Ten Hag's men in west London, laying on two assists in that first-half demolition.

While the addition of such an asset certainly won't come cheap, Toney could potentially prove to be the man who finally gives United the license to bin their current iconic figure.