15 Greatest Strikers in Man Utd History (Ranked)

Manchester United have struggled to find a reliable striker since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, with numerous players failing to make an impact in the number nine position. The Red Devils have had some incredible strikers on their books in their history, though, including Wayne Rooney and Andy Cole. Sir Bobby Charlton, one of the greatest United players ever, is ranked as the third best striker to ever play for the club.

Manchester United are a club that were once a dominant force in English football but, while the Red Devils are still seen as the biggest club in England by many, their performances on the pitch have declined drastically over the past decade. The team was once full of leaders and incredible footballers with a key ingredient being at the very top of the team. The striker position was always occupied by a world-class player during Sir Alex Ferguson's reign, giving the team a huge springboard to success with a clinical hitman getting on the end of the numerous chances created per game.



There were times that the club had not only one, but two elite level strikers at the same time, which is a far cry away from the long list of centre-forwards to have failed in the number nine position at Old Trafford since Ferguson retired in 2013. Players such as Wout Weghorst, Radamel Falcao and Anthony Martial have failed to give the team a reliable presence in the opposition penalty area, and while Edinson Cavani put in an admirable display when given the honour to lead the line, the Uruguayan was coming to the end of his time at the top of the game. The 2024/2025 Premier League season has seen current manager Ruben Amorim having to deal with misfiring strikers in the likes of Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, and they have been one of the key reasons behind why the Old Trafford side have been struggling.

The duo are a far cry from some of the greatest centre-forwards Old Trafford has seen over the years, but who are the best 15 strikers in Man Utd's rich history? When assembling our list, certain factors have been taken into consideration when ranking these players. They are: Importance to the team Ability Trophies Goals Assists Longevity 15 Zlatan Ibrahimovic It's a testament to Zlatan Ibrahimovic's supreme ability and confidence that despite playing no more than two full years at Manchester United, he makes it onto the list of some of the greatest strikers in club history. The iconic Swede arrived at Old Trafford off the back of a stellar few campaigns at French side PSG, and was promptly handed the number nine shirt.

He announced his arrival with the trophy-winning goal in United's 2-1 victory over Leicester in the Community Shield, and in his first full season in Manchester, would also add the Europa League and Carabao Cup to his illustrious trophy cabinet. Ibrahimovic would score two goals to clinch the win in the Carabao Cup final, while his performances across the 2016/2017 campaign saw him nominated as one of the six players for the PFA Player of the Year award. Zlatan Ibrahimovic's Manchester United stats Appearances 53 Goals 29 Assists 10 14 Dimitar Berbatov One of the most naturally-gifted players in Man Utd history, Dimitar Berbatov was the absolute epitome of touch, class and skill.

The Bulgarian arrived at Old Trafford from Premier League rivals Tottenham, and set about proving why he was one of the best strikers in the division. His most iconic moment in a United shirt came when he scored a hat-trick against Liverpool in a 3-2 win, becoming the first player from the Manchester club to net three times in the fixture in 64 years. By the end of his time at Old Trafford, Berbatov could point to the multitude of trophies he had won at the club as evidence for why he decided to make the move from Spurs to United.

Dimitar Berbatov's Manchester United stats Appearances 149 Goals 56 Assists 27 13 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer The scorer of arguably the greatest single goal in Manchester United history, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's winner in the 1999 Champions League final is part of football folklore, and rightfully, has made the Norwegian an absolute legend at the club. His role as super-sub during Sir Alex Ferguson's time at the club is well-documented, but that would be doing a disservice to the kind of finishing and quality of player that he actually was. Solskjaer served United incredibly well over the years he played for them, and never once complained about his lack of first-team action or starts.

Capable of filling in as the starting number nine when needed or simply providing a goal-scoring cameo to rescue a game or win it, Solskjaer's place on this list of the greatest strikers in United history is well deserved to say the least. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United stats Appearances 366 Goals 126 Assists 57 12 Carlos Tevez Carlos Tevez will go down as one of the best South American players to ever play in the Premier League . The former Argentina forward joined on a two-year loan deal and was quick to establish himself as a fan-favourite at Old Trafford and formed a great relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney.

During his time with the Red Devils, the striker won five major trophies with the club , including the UEFA Champions League in 2008 and two Premier League titles. His electrifying pace in behind and a real eye for goal made him tough to play against during his stint in England. Had he not gone to rivals Manchester City and remained at the Theatre of Dreams instead, he might have been even higher here.

Carlos Tevez's Manchester United stats Appearances 99 Goals 34 Assists 14 11 Robin van Persie Robin van Persie's left foot was a thing of beauty during the peak of his powers. The Dutchman angered the Arsenal faithful when he made the controversial move to their fierce rivals Manchester United in 2012 after eight years in north London. Van Persie became a Premier League winner in his first season at United as he scored 26 times on their way to the title.

The forward even picked up the club's Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year Award at the end of his first season. While a lot of his prime years came at Arsenal, his level of technique and power made him one of the most feared strikers in the league during his time at Old Trafford. Robin van Persie's Manchester United stats Appearances 105 Goals 58 Assists 21 Arsenal have had been able to call upon some prolific goalscorers over the years.

10 Dwight Yorke Yorke may have only spent four years at Old Trafford, but he certainly left an impression in that time as he formed part of one of the all-time great Premier League striker partnerships with a man that will be brought up later on. The Trinidad and Tobago international had a better goal record than one in three as he scored 66 times in 152 games while contributing to three consecutive league titles as well as the famous 1999 Champions League win. Being an effective part of a front two is becoming a dying art in the modern game, with most teams looking to pack the midfield rather than having a duo up-front to keep the opposition defence occupied.

Yorke was the perfect mix of being selfless but also selfish in the right moments to give himself an edge in front of goal. Dwight Yorke's Manchester United stats Appearances 152 Goals 66 Assists 32 9 Teddy Sheringham Like Yorke, the English forward didn't spend a massive portion of his career with the Red Devils, and he wasn't even a regular starter for a couple of the seasons he spent at the 'Theatre of Dreams'. Sheringham did manage to fire in 46 goals over a four-season spell as he continued his very strong goal-scoring form from previous clubs.

Perhaps the biggest moment of Sheringham's entire career - and the moment he is best remembered for in a Manchester United shirt - is his stoppage-time equaliser against Bayern Munich in the 1999 Champions League final. Solskjaer then went on to net the winner to secure United's historic treble after already wrapping up the league and FA Cup. Teddy Sheringham Manchester United stats Appearances 153 Goals 46 Assists 31 8 Mark Hughes Many modern fans of the game are likely to know Hughes as the man to manage Premier League clubs such as Stoke City, Blackburn Rovers and Queens Park Rangers in the past 15 years while even having a stint with Man United's biggest rivals, Manchester City.

To a certain generation, however, the Welshman will always be known as a top class forward, and the best years of his career were played out at Old Trafford. In fact, Hughes had two separate spells with the English club either side of a stint at Barcelona in the late 1980s. He scored 143 times from 400 games, which points in the direction of Hughes not being the most clinical striker the club has ever seen, but it was definitely the best goalscoring time in his own career.

It was a perfect match for both parties at the time, and Hughes is remembered fondly by those that have forgiven his managerial stint with the 'noisy neighbours'. Mark Hughes' Manchester United stats Appearances 435 Goals 163 Assists 18 7 Andy Cole Cole is the infamous aforementioned strike partner of Yorke and the pair really did light up the division in their time together. He did have a longer career at Old Trafford than his former teammate and scored more goals for the club, which is why he gets a higher ranking on this list.

It was actually a shock that Newcastle United sanctioned the sale of the English forward to their league rivals in 1995. A £6 million deal that also saw Keith Gillespie head in the opposite direction was a very substantial fee at the time, although it's made to look like a very nominal fee in today's market. As is becoming a common theme with the players mentioned, his time at Man United was the best spell of his career, as he managed over 100 goals for the side.

Andy Cole's Manchester United stats Appearances 275 Goals 121 Assists 44 Andy Cole and Teddy Sheringham played together at Man Utd but never spoke and disliked each other. It all stemmed from an incident at Wembley in 1995. 6 Jack Rowley It is a name that will be very unfamiliar to the majority of fans, and it would be easy to pretend otherwise, but we have done our best to inform those that are unaware.

Rowley was signed for a fee of £3,000 in 1937 at the age of 17 before he spent 17 years with the club. Obviously, six of those years fell at the same time as World War II, which means he only actually competed in 12 seasons. Rowley netted double figure goals in nine of those 12 seasons, which makes him a reliable goalscorer by anyone's standards and United could even do with a player as consistent as this for the 2023/24 season.

Maybe a rogue shout due to the fact he isn't too well-known in the modern day, but the numbers don't lie. Jack Rowley's Manchester United stats Appearances 424 Goals 211 Assists N/A 5 Ruud van Nistelrooy Ferguson didn't make many mistakes at all across the dynasty he built at Old Trafford but many do believe the decision to sell Van Nistelrooy was the wrong decision at the time. Granted, the Dutch hitman had lost a bit of form in his last campaign at the club in comparison to previous years.

For context, he scored 21 league goals in 2005/06 before being sold to Real Madrid and that was considered to be a drop in form. Possibly the best finisher on this entire list and one of the greatest foreign players in English top flight history , the Netherlands international was the master of taking his shot early in order to catch the goalkeeper off-guard. Even the more games he played, you'd expect this to be picked up by the opposition, but his movement and finishing ability was still too much for anyone to handle.

Ruud van Nistelrooy 's Manchester United stats Appearances 219 Goals 150 Assists 30 4 Denis Law Law became the first ever Scottish football player to have won the Ballon d'Or in 1964 and that is a record that still stands to this day. It is also very likely to continue as the record for a long time, with no current Scotland internationals living up to the lofty standards set by Law and the likes of Kenny Dalglish. It goes to show just how impressive the forward was that he is still seen as a Manchester United icon even after closing out his career at their City rivals in 1974.

Many legends including Andy Cole and Denis Law have played for both Manchester United and Manchester City over the years. The Scot found the back of the net more than 200 times, averaging close to two goals every three games during his time on the red side of Manchester. It would have been interesting to see how Law would get on in the modern world of football, but all the evidence points towards him being a success regardless of what era he found himself in.

Denis Law's Manchester United stats Appearances 404 Goals 201 Assists N/A 3 Sir Bobby Charlton The second man to get his hands on a Ballon d'Or on this list, but Charlton went one better than Law had done previously by winning the honour on two occasions. There is an argument that the 1966 World Cup winner should be higher than third here due to the incredible number of goals he scored. The former star held the record as the club's top scorer for several decades until it was broken in 2017.

Two-hundred and thirty-three goals is sensational by anyone's standards and is a big reason as to why the Englishman is considered United's greatest ever player to this day. Charlton is also at a slight disadvantage due to the fact he played a large portion of his career games from midfield and played more of a creative role. Sir Bobby Charlton' s Manchester United stats Appearances 758 Goals 249 Assists N/A 2 Eric Cantona Known as 'King Cantona' at Old Trafford, the man signed from Leeds United turned out to be a stroke of genius by Ferguson in 1992.

Until Roy Keane came around, the French forward was seen as one of the best captains the club had ever seen, which goes to show the level of popularity and respect he held through his five years at Manchester United. The big striker was very powerful, but also possessed the pace and skill expected of a much shorter player. Cantona retired at the age of 31 in 1997 and this was an unexpected move as many players continue playing into their mid-30s at least.

It did allow him to hang up his boots while also being at the very top, and thus not allowing his reputation to be damaged while still being seen as one of the greatest strikers in Premier League history . Sir Bobby Charlton' s Manchester United stats Appearances 183 Goals 81 Assists 62 1 Wayne Rooney It is only right that in a list of strikers, the man to have scored the most sits right at the very top. Rooney broke Charlton's aforementioned record as the Red Devils' top goalscorer of all time with 253 goals to his name.

He was also the top English scorer ever until Harry Kane recently broke that record of 53 goals. Going on to captain the club and become the talisman at Old Trafford, it certainly justifies Ferguson's decision to bring him to the club as an 18-year-old from Everton in 2004. GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic : Wayne Rooney is the only player in Premier League history to score 10+ goals and provide 10+ assists in five different seasons.

Rooney played for United for 13 years, and it is remarkable to think that he took no time at all to settle in his new surroundings after netting a hat-trick in his Champions League debut. The English forward was always a clinical finisher, having the ability to score with either foot or even with his head on a number of occasions, but he was more than just a poacher. His technical ability was incredible, as shown by the fact he dropped into a midfield role in the later years of his career.

Wayne Rooney's Manchester United stats Appearances 559 Goals 253 Assists 144 All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt and Manchester United (correct as of 23/04/2025).