Dion Dublin makes Marcus Rashford West Ham point after…

Dion Dublin makes Marcus Rashford West Ham point after Premier League scoring struggles

Former Aston Villa striker Dion Dublin has said that West Ham United’s lack of a natural goalscorer is costing them at present.

The ex-Villa, Coventry City, and Manchester United forward, who won four England caps in 1998, has highlighted West Ham’s lack of a natural finisher at present, with West Ham scoring just 19 goals from their 23 league games this season, leaving them 18th in the table and in the relegation zone.

While results had started to improve in 2023, a 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur undid much of that recent work, with Spurs goalkeeper Fraser Forster only forced into making one save during the London derby defeat.

While West Ham have spent north of £40million this season to add Danny Ings and Gianluca Scamacca to their goalscoring ranks, winger Jarrod Bowen remains their top scorer in the league this season with just four goals, two of which coming in last month’s 2-0 win over Everton.

Dublin has said that West Ham’s lack of a clinical marksman could prove costly and has compared the Hammers to his former side Man United, saying they also do not have a natural finisher, but the form of winger Marcus Rashford has made up for it.

West Ham United's Gianluca Scamacca with a chance in the second half during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United at Molineux (Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images)

“It doesn’t matter how many good players you have, if you don’t have a natural goalscorer or goalscorers that are going to get into those positions naturally to score goals, you are going to be down on your goals,” Dublin told BBC’s Match of the Day 2.

“Man United don’t have one, but Marcus Rashford is playing incredibly well.”

Dublin’s thoughts were echoed by fellow panellist and ex-Liverpool, Blackburn Rovers, and Villa left-back Stephen Warnock, whose career saw him win two caps for England.

The 41-year-old added that fans will be frustrated not to see Ings make his full debut yet since his £12million arrival from Aston Villa, as well as saying that when Scamacca has played this season, he has not been good enough,

“I think the frustration for West Ham fans is why bring Danny Ings in and not play him, not start him if that was what he was bought in to do was to finish off those opportunities created,” added Warnock.

“Scamacca we know has had injuries but he really hasn’t performed that well when called upon but if you are wasteful in front of goal in the Premier League, you will get punished and West Ham are suffering from that.”

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