Manchester United’s faltering attack has led them to suffer a poor start to their Premier League campaign this term.
Despite Erik ten Hag possessing players such as Rasmus Hojlund, Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Anthony Martial and Antony, they have scored just four league goals combined and it's no wonder they are struggling in sixth place.
Unless vast improvement is made between now and Christmas, Ten Hag could find himself on the scrap heap and with a run of fixtures coming up which includes matches against Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Newcastle United, it couldn’t get much tougher.
Rasmus Hojlund
0
0
9
Marcus Rashford
1
1
11
Anthony Martial
0
0
10
Antony
0
0
9
Alejandro Garnacho
0
0
10
Facundo Pellistri
0
1
5
Jadon Sancho
0
0
3
Stats via BBC & Transfermarkt
The manager really needs more from his attacking players, especially Hojlund, but it is Martial who continues to underperform having failed to contribute when given a chance.
Anthony Martial’s season in numbers
In Ten Hag’s first season in charge, the Frenchman scored nine goals in 29 appearances, a solid, if unspectacular, record and there was hope he could build on that this term.
It hasn’t quite worked out as planned for the former AS Monaco gem however, as he has found the back of the net just once – during an EFL Cup tie against Crystal Palace – and his Premier League statistics don’t make for the best of reading.
The 27-year-old ranks in a lowly 20th spot for successful dribbles per game (0.1) in the league, while also ranking 14th for shots per game (0.4) with these stats clearly not good enough.
Could Ten Hag perhaps unleash a young talent from the academy in his place? Joe Hugill is currently shining in the Premier League 2 and deserves a shot.
Joe Hugill’s youth statistics
The 20-year-old has netted a staggering 54 goals across 98 appearances in his embryonic career thus far, and he was hailed for his clinical nature in front of goal by journalist Josh Bunting when he first broke onto the scene.
Regarding Hugill’s ability back in 2020, Bunting said: “Such a clinical young player a real natural finisher with so much confidence.”
The Englishman has already scored seven goals in just 11 matches this season, a figure which means he has outscored every senior United player so far, and it suggests that Ten Hag should perhaps be taking a more in-depth look at the striker.
Along with competing in the Premier League 2, Hugill was offered three chances to shine during the EFL Trophy, as the United youngsters came up against senior opposition.
During this trio of games, the youngster scored once, created a big chance, and took one shot on average per game, showing that he was keen to bolster his goal tally.
With the likes of Alejandro Garnacho and Facundo Pellistri getting ample opportunities this season under the Dutchman having shone in the younger age groups previously indicates that there is a pathway to the first team.
The main thing for the forward now is to keep his head down and continue to score on a regular basis for the U21 side.
If he does, then he may get presented with an opportunity by the Dutchman at some stage this season, but he could well be a better option than Martial.
