If you’d told Manchester United at the beginning of the season they would enter the last four games with Marcus Rashford as their starting striker, you would’ve raised a few eyebrows.

Injuries in the squad followed by surprising calmness in front of goal means the 18-year-old has now established himself as a regular under Louis Van Gaal, but that might not be the case next season.

Firstly, there is no guarantee the Dutchman will still be at the helm of the club when August comes, but also, there is a chance a new striker could be bought.

According to L’Equipe, one of the players Manchester United have been keeping an eye on throughout the season is Alexandre Lacazette, Lyon’s prolific goalscorer, who has had something of a mixed season.

Following a great year where he scored 31 goals in 40 appearances, the 24-year-old started this campaign very slowly, but has turned things around in 2016, and now has a fairly respectable 19 goals in 40 appearances.

This consistency in front of goal has attracted a lot of attention, and United are said to be monitoring from a distance the player’s progress, while a few others are more active on the dossier.

That said, if it looked like Lacazette was close to a move, we wouldn’t be surprised if the Red Devils made themselves known fairly quickly, such is their need for new talent in front of goal. L'Equipe say both Tottenham and West Ham have bid for the player, but those bids would appear to have failed, although the newspaper didn't make that clear. 

Additionally, the striker has made it clear he would only leave Lyon if the move was one that would allow him to further his career.

Whether United fall into that category right now, with Lyon in a Champions League spot in Ligue 1, remains to be seen.

Tom Coast.