Mason Mount is on his way to Manchester United but they still have work to do in the summer transfer window.

There are exactly 29 days between when Manchester United agree personal terms with Mason Mount and a fee with Chelsea. That’s an improvement on last year’s Frenkie de Jong story. That deal lasted exactly 100 days; from the moment of showing Manchester United’s interest to ending up in negotiations with Real Madrid for Casemiro.

Now United have to switch to a striker and can’t last much longer. Ideally, a new number 9 would be on Man United’s flight from Edinburgh to New York on July 19 ahead of three friendlies against Arsenal, Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.

Harry Kane, Rasmus Hojlund, Victor Osimhen, Randal Kolo Muani were most mentioned and Ten Hag also impressed with Goncalo Ramos. A reliable goalscorer can be the difference between a better season and a bad one for United.

Anthony Martial has been a rare No. 9 for the Reds for years but rarely lives up to the number on his back, and earning between £20m and £30m for Martial would be of great help to United. Kane, Osimhen, Hojlund, Muani and Ramos will all not come cheap.

But United can’t wait to sell before buying, especially as they have to look for an overseas option after abandoning Kane. A new striker will need time to get used to his teammates, adapt to the style of Man United and the fierceness of the Premier League.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has integrated quickly in 2016 but he is a difference of the football world. So did Cristiano Ronaldo in his return to England two years ago. Romelu Lukaku has spent most of his professional career in England. So does Robin van Persie.

Radamel Falcao arrived on the deadline day and was completely out of breath. Edinson Cavani never really integrated, the Covid-19 pandemic also affected a lot. Wout Weghorst is also bad despite having experience in the UK. Two of United’s five new recruits last year landed in Manchester after the season started. And an experienced person like Casemiro also needed prep time to get used to the new environment.

When United are done with a striker, they also have to deal with the goalkeeper problem. Freeing David de Gea and selling Dean Henderson would result in around £390,000 off the wage bill and Nottingham Forest are said to be willing to pay £30m for Henderson. Andre Onana is the leading candidate for this position.

Man United had a challenging August with Wolves, Tottenham and Arsenal. You can’t win the title in August but you can lose it during this time. Competing for the championship should be the goal next season. Man United didn’t perform too well last season but went above expectations to finish in third place. Competition in the Premier League is fiercer with each passing season. Man United cannot stand still. Or wait 100 days.