Erik Ten Hag Needs More Goals From His Manchester United Strikers

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has declared he is confident his side’s strikers are capable of scoring up to 20 goals this season.

“In my teams there are players who will score,” he said at a press conference ahead of United’s game against Newcastle United this Sunday. “They come in the position [to score] and in the last part it’s also about the freedom from the player.”

“I think we have in our squad the players who can score that number of goals. But they get also divided because we have many goal scorers across the whole department, but I think you need also something from the midfield and defending department [too].”

United have only scored 13 goals in the Premier League so far this season, which is significantly less than their rivals for a top four position: Manchester City (33 goals), Arsenal (23), Tottenham (20), Liverpool (20), and even Sunday’s opponents Newcastle have outscored them with 17 goals.

It is a source of embarrassment even Leicester City, who currently sit on the bottom of the Premier League with just one win have scored more with 15 goals so far.

On Thursday night United’s strikers failed in front of goal against Omonia in the Europa League and had to rely on a midfielder Scott McTominay to come off the bench and grab a winner in added time.

Marcus Rashford, who is United’s joint leading scorer in the Premier League with just three goals, spurned several good chances against the Cypriots.

“[Marcus] did a lot of things well, but finally, he knows that he has to be more clinical and he has to score a goal,” Ten Hag said. “When you have such good movements and combinations, you have such good actions, then you have to finish.”

“But I know sometimes it’s the game, it’s not your night, it’s the form of the day. But it can change to another game, because I think he is on a really good run and that proves the chances he creates. Now, in [the last] two games he’s a little bit unlucky.”

“On Sunday he deserves a goal that they cancelled, and today he didn’t score and maybe it was maybe more by himself. So what I say is save it for the coming week.”

Antony is United’s other joint leading scorer, with three goals in his first three Premier League games, which has seen him produce impressive strikes against Arsenal, Manchester City and Everton.

However, Ten Hag who signed him from Ajax for £85 million this summer believes there is a lot more to come from the Brazilian winger.

“I think we have seen with his dribble capabilities and his speed,” Ten Hag said. “His finishing, also his creating, but now he has to work on more variation. He is a player who can adapt quickly to a high level and is a player who likes challenges.”

“Every training for him is a challenge, every game is a challenge, and that will make the best out of him and he likes that. So there is really a lot of space for improvement with him, but I think he’s already at a really good level when you are the first player who scored three in a row, three goals for Manchester United in all history. That already shows his potential.”

Anthony Martial has scored three goals in four games in all competitions in a season that has been interrupted by injuries, but Ten Hag suggested he could be fit to face Newcastle on Sunday, although club captain Harry Maguire remain unavailable.

Despite United’s 6-3 humiliation to Manchester City two weeks ago, they remain in the middle of a promising run, which has seen them win eight of their last ten games in all competitions, including Thursday night’s late win.

“It gives another impetus on the team to believe,” Ten Hag said, ‘[The] spirit is already good but it will give a push in that spirit again and it will help the belief in the squad. We’re going to be against tough opponents but we are really looking forward. They are really [good] tests for us as a squad to go in the battles and it delivers energy.”