Man Utd’s goalscoring crisis explained as Sir Jim Ratcliffe sent transfer demand

Since the beginning of the season, Manchester United has had a terrible start, as they have only won three of their first ten matches. Only one other Premier League side has scored less goals than Manchester United.

At this point in the season, Manchester United has been having a terrible season in front of the clock. With only FIVE goals scored throughout seven matches, Erik ten Hag’s team is now ranked as the second-lowest scoring team in the Premier League championship.

Southampton is the only team in the Premier League that has scored less goals than Wolves (nine) and Ipswich (six), but Wolves have scored more goals than Ipswich and Wolves have scored without actually winning a single game. In terms of individual players, Erling Haaland has scored ten goals, Cole Palmer has scored six, and Bryan Mbuemo has scored six goals. Together, these three players have scored more goals than the whole United side has scored this season.

It is a damning record that United supporters are anxious about, in addition to the fact that they have only accrued eight points out of a potential twenty-one, and fans are demanding that the club recruit a new striker in the month of January. Taking into consideration the findings of a recent study that was carried out by The Mirror, it is clear that United needs to acquire a center forward.

Out of the more than 9,300 votes that were cast as of Thursday afternoon, an astounding 54% of respondents believed that United should concentrate on strengthening their front line during the upcoming winter transfer window. The offensive midfield position is the one in which United has to improve, according to thirteen percent of the players, followed by the full-back position with twelve percent and the defensive midfield position with eleven percent. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise given that there were less votes cast for the position of goalie (4%), center defender (3%), and winger (3%).

In light of United’s dismal goal-scoring record, it is inevitable that calls will be made for the club to acquire a new striker. However, why else could they have been so ineffective in one particular area of the game this season? Actually, Rasmus Hojlund’s absence has not been of any assistance. The Danish player, who was acquired from Atalanta in August 2023 for a total of £64 million with add-ons, appeared in 43 matches and scored 16 goals during his first season with the club. However, he was sidelined for the opening month of the season due to a hamstring injury.

Due to the fact that Hojlund was unavailable, Joshua Zirkzee was able to assist in filling that job when he moved from Bologna for a fee of £36.5 million; however, he has been deceiving. Since making his debut for United, Zirkzee has not been able to reach the back of the net in any of his nine subsequent outings for the club. His first goal came as a substitute in the second half of the match against Fulham. In a weird turn of events, the Dutchman was able to prevent Alejandro Garnacho from scoring a goal that might have won the game at Brighton. Garnacho was in an offside position on the goal line when he managed to sneak a goal-bound shot into the net, but the goal was denied to him. United’s attempt was disallowed, and the team ultimately suffered a 2-1 defeat.

That event aside, Zirkzee has failed to capitalize on FOUR significant opportunities this season. With Garnacho also on four and Bruno Fernandes close behind him with three, he is one of just nine players who have missed more than he has accomplished. United have produced 16 significant opportunities as a team, which is the eighth-highest number in the Premier League. However, they have scored the second fewest goals of any side in the league.These statistics demonstrate that United is not only producing opportunities, but also not putting them away. While they are not as numerous as other teams like Arsenal (24), Chelsea (24) and Liverpool (23), United is still creating opportunities. The fact that Erik ten Hag has only managed to score five goals while having 89 shots and 16 great opportunities is, without a doubt, an issue that needs to be fixed as quickly as possible.

Even though the Reds have spent more than one hundred million pounds on two attackers over the course of the previous three transfer windows, they still want someone at the top end of the pitch who is capable of putting the ball in the net. The statistics also support the votes of the Mirror readers’ poll that a new forward should be United’s top priority. Their clinical approach is insufficient, and it has been that way for quite some time.

While there is some hope that Zirkzee will be able to start taking his opportunities more frequently, the return of Hojlund to health is without a doubt going to be a help for them in their efforts to try and get their goal tally rolling. Garnacho has to improve his clinical play, and Fernandes needs to find his form as soon as possible. The Portugal international is having the worst start to a season since he moved to United over five years ago, and Fernandes needs to regain his form as soon as possible.

United is scheduled to play Brentford following the international break. Brentford scored five goals against Wolves on the previous Saturday. It is a significant game for Ten Hag’s attackers as they attempt to get back on track, given that the Bees lost that game by a score of 5-3 despite the fact that they allowed three goals to be scored against them.