Erik ten Hag has called on his Manchester United team to spread around the goals to decrease the scoring burden on the in-form Marcus Rashford.
United have bagged 88 goals across all competitions this season with 27 of them coming through Rashford, who has acted as the talisman for United’s side this campaign. The club opened talks over a new contract with the striker after he returned from World Cup duty.
Yet Ten Hag is wary that United need to share more goals throughout the team if they are to truly take the step up to the top level. Outside of Rashford, the talismanic Bruno Fernandes is the only other United star to have hit double figures in terms of goals this campaign.
Wout Weghorst has scored just twice for the club in 18 appearances since joining on loan from Burnley – despite becoming a regular in the central attacking role in Ten Hag’s side. Outside of Anthony Martial, who has suffered fitness issues this campaign, there is no other recognised senior central striker at the club.
Somewhat surprisingly, Ten Hag did not reference Weghorst when naming five players in whom he expected a higher goal return. He did however believe that Fernandes was among the five players who could increase their tally yet further.
Ten Hag said at a press conference on Friday: "I think we have players like Bruno [Fernandes], like Jadon Sancho, like Anthony Martial, like Scott McTominay, like Antony dos Santos, we have enough players with the capabilities to score goals, definitely.
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"What I said previously, I work in the back on next season [for transfers] but we're working now on this season, so first of all make sure everyone is available and keep improving the way of play and that's the best chance of scoring more goals."
Sancho has bagged just five goals this term from a wide attacking position while Martial’s fitness problems have limited him to just six goals. United’s third top scorer is big-money summer arrival Antony who has netted seven times – including memorably against Barcelona, Arsenal and twice against Manchester City.
McTominay has found the net just twice for United this campaign did score four goals for his country in the past week though as they beat Cyrprus and Spain, showing his potential in the final third of the pitch.
United are third in the Premier League and having won the EFL Cup – their first piece of silverware in six seasons – they are hopeful of adding to that with further trophies this campaign, as they are in the FA Cup semi-finals and the last eight of the Europa League.
