Manchester United were expected to continue their unbeaten run of nine games on Sunday. But instead they succumbed to an unexpected 1-3 thrashing at the hands of Aston Villa.
Erik ten Hag’s dubious decision to put Donny van de Beek in place of a suspended Bruno Fernandes was heavily criticised, while the attacking options at his disposal did not help him.
In fact, the options were so limited that the Dutch manager had to call in a struggling Anthony Elanga and left-back Tyrell Malacia, plus a half-fit Anthony Martial to salvage the situation.
United lacking in firepower
The absence of Antony and Jadon Sancho ended up hurting the Red Devils a lot and the coach hopes to be back for the game against Fulham.
Villa’s drubbing once again highlighted United’s lackluster firepower up front and the need to build up strength in that crucial area of the pitch.
And former United defender Gary Neville made a scathing assessment of Ten Hag’s chances as he compared the sorry state of affairs at the Old Trafford side compared to the rest of England’s elite clubs.
“Manchester United’s three forwards are the weakest of the top six” ????
Gary Neville says Manchester United is NOT back ????️ pic.twitter.com/zMwgraRexi
– Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 7, 2022
“United’s three forwards are the weakest of the top six in my opinion. In general, United does not convince me at all. This idea that United is back, it’s not like that.
“I think Ten Hag is getting the most out of them. He needs two or three years on the job and some transfer windows. There are signs they are getting better but they are not back,” the United legend said on the Gary Neville Podcast.
The statistics speak for themselves. Among the current top six, United are the team with the fewest goals with just 18 goals. Manchester City have more than doubled with 39.
Cristiano Ronaldo, last season’s top scorer, has only scored once in the league, while Marcus Rashford, the top scorer so far, has only four goals to his credit.
Anthony Martial’s injury problems have meant he has managed just two strikes so far this season, while Jadon Sancho has lacked consistency.
Neville Criticizes Recruitment
Neville didn’t stop there, as he then compared United’s front-row options to the rest, commenting that the former Ajax manager would be keeping most of the opposition players rather than the ones he has inherited.
“United’s three forwards are the weakest of the top six. You think about Kulusevski-Kane-Son: United would get those three.
Arsenal have Saka-Jesus-Martinelli. Liverpool has Núñez, Díaz, Jota, Salah and Firmino; you would definitely pick three of them over the ones United have. You would even take the Chelsea one.
The likes of Brighton, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur have overtaken the Red Devils and, in an even more damning stat, United are 11th in terms of goals scored.
The 20-time English champions need a proven goalscorer in January and hopefully the Glazers will relent and allow Ten Hag to continue his rebuild and ensure the club have the best chance of finishing in the top four at the end of the campaign.
