Erik ten Hag is reportedly looking to bolster Manchester United’s attack by adding a new striker in the upcoming summer transfer window, as the club contemplates the departure of Anthony Martial after his lengthy tenure at Old Trafford.
The Dutch manager has pointed to Martial’s string of injuries as one of the reasons for United’s poor scoring performance this season.
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With only seven matches left in the Premier League, Manchester United’s goal difference stands at -1, a figure surpassed by only six other teams in terms of scarcity of goals this season.
Their score of 45 goals is the smallest among the teams in the upper half of the table, a factor that has played a part in Ten Hag’s less than stellar second season in charge.
Rasmus Hojlund, who was signed from Atalanta for £72 million last summer, was brought in as an emerging talent in need of development.
Marcus Rashford, following his impressive 30-goal haul in the 2022/23 season, was expected to provide the necessary support, yet he has only found the back of the net eight times this term.
Hojlund leads the scoring for United with 13 goals across all competitions, but his league tally is just seven. Bruno Fernandes is the only other player to hit double digits, with 10 goals.
In his first year in English football, the 21-year-old Hojlund has often found himself playing solo upfront due to Martial’s persistent injuries, which have sidelined him for significant portions of the 2023/24 season.
Ten Hag is of the opinion that Manchester United’s goal-scoring figures would have been more impressive had Martial been consistently fit and available, as the forward was a key part of his initial strategy for the season.
“I think it would help [to sign another striker]. There is no doubt that we counted on Martial. You need two strikers in the league we’re in and the competitions we’re in. You need more options,” Ten Hag explained.
“You need double positioning in every position and some positions we didn’t have the choices this season. The striker position, the left full-back position – that has a negative impact on the results.
“Last season, we were even shorter [up front] and came through that season very well. So the plan was quite logical to go into this season with an extra striker, which we signed in Hojlund.
“That should have been enough to cover everything. In this plan we constructed, we should have had enough goals. You count on goals from Rashy – last season, he had 30 – and you count on goals from Martial.
“In my first season, Martial played very well and also in very important games he had a high impact on our performances. And then, bringing in a goalscorer like Rasmus Hojlund, it should have been enough goals.”
United reportedly expect Martial to leave when his contract expires in July. Tom Heaton, Raphael Varane and Jonny Evans’ deals are also up this summer transfer window.
