Too late, Paul! Old Trafford legend tells his club to sign Nkunku at all cost

The audition is open. Who will be the man to replace Cristiano Ronaldo and become the next-generation goalscoring hero at Old Trafford?

After the Portuguese's unhappy departure's been confirmed, the Red Devils require someone to hit the ground running and score goals regularly. The name of PSV's Cody Gakpo has been mentioned as Erik Ten Hag's preferred addition, but United's legend Paul Scholes knows who's the best man for the job.

Speaking to MUTV, Manchester United's club television channel, the fan favourite admitted that Chelsea-bound Christopher Nkunku.

"Centre-forward is obviously the big position that needs filling. We have Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford who can both play there, but I think Marcus prefers being out wide and Antony's injury record isn't great. January might be too soon [to replace Ronaldo], they're probably looking at next summer now, but I do think there are players out there. I think there's a couple of forwards they might look at. The kid at RB Leipzig that's been linked with Chelsea, Nkunku."

Sadly for Scholes, his favourite Nkunku seems highly likely to join Chelsea instead - which means Dutch starlet Gakpo remains the most realistic target for the Manchester United regime.

"The lad at PSV, Gakpo, is doing really well for the Netherlands at the World Cup and I think Ten Hag has been really interested in him before. There's players out there for sure. January can be a tough window to do business but I hope we can do something and bring in a new centre-forward."

Nkunku passed secret medical checks to sign for Chelsea - clause 60,000,000 euros

When Paul Scholes speaks, the United fans listen carefully. Let's see if the club's decision-makers hold Scholsey in such high regard as well.