Erik ten Hag said Manchester United are 'limited offensively' after last month's 3-2 defeat by Arsenal in North London.
Ten Hag has diplomatically discussed his lack of firepower during his first season in charge. Marcus Rashford is the only player at the club who has proved himself to be a regular source of goals.
Rashford has scored 21 goals across all competitions this season, which equates to 30 per cent of the team's entire haul, and United's progress in this campaign so far can largely be credited to his sensational renaissance.
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Anthony Martial has spent more time on the treatment table than on the pitch and he's scored just six goals, Antony has made an indifferent start to his time at Old Trafford with five goals, while Jadon Sancho and Alejandro Garnacho have three each.
Wout Weghorst, who was signed on loan in January, has just one goal to his name and Anthony Elanga has not actually found the net since February 2022. Ten Hag was being polite when he described his attacking option as 'limited'.
Without Rashford playing the best football of his career, the attacking output at Old Trafford would be a serious issue this season and that is something Ten Hag is aware of, hence the club making signing a prolific centre-forward their summer priority.
Before the end of the season, Ten Hag must work with the cards he's been dealt and he's been doing an excellent job of that. His management has been world-class.
Ten Hag has been tested in the Premier League after the Brentford debacle, he's been tested by Cristiano Ronaldo, while he also sensitively handled Jadon Sancho, but another challenging on-field test will come against Barcelona.
United will play at the Nou Camp on Thursday night in the Europa League playoff round and it's little wonder that Ten Hag has admitted he would rather play this fixture in the final.
Barcelona finished third in their Champions League group earlier this season, demoting them to the Europa League, but they've improved every month with Xavi in charge and they are expected to go far in the competition.
The same can be said about United, but over a two-legged contest, there is a feeling the lack of firepower could prove to be their undoing, especially when considering Barcelona have the best defence in Europe this term.
Barcelona have conceded just seven goals in La Liga and that is the fewest of any team in Europe's top five leagues. Goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen has been key in that.
Ter Stegen is one of the main reasons Barcelona have been able to overperform at the back, as they have only conceded seven league goals from a total of 19.2 xGA (expected goals against).
In layman's terms, Barcelona have been 'expected' to concede 19 goals from the chances they have given up but they've only conceded seven. That should eventually regress to the mean but their record is concerning for United in a playoff tie.
Ter Stegen has kept 16 clean sheets in La Liga and he's in the form of his life. Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen have also been outstanding.
The positive news for United is that, although Barcelona have an excellent defensive record, they are conceding chances in games, and United will have to be clinical when such opportunities present themselves in the tie.
If Rashford can be found, he should be able to convert but whether his teammates can produce remains to be seen. There has been a lack of goals away from Rashford this season and Ten Hag will hope that won't be the difference across the two legs against Barcelona.
Xavi will be confident in his side and he'll be aware that United are 'limited offensively'.
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