17 losses. That’s the terrible record Manchester United has had this season.
They still have a chance to earn a spot in the Champions League, though. The way football plays out is funny, isn’t it?
The Red Devils were celebrating their spot in the Europa League final only a few days ago, but domestically, things are only getting worse.
They lost 4-3 to Brentford last Saturday, and even though they had defeated Bilbao in the middle of the week, they were unable to maintain any momentum going into this weekend’s games.
This time, West Ham was the visitor to Old Trafford, and they won 2-0 thanks to goals from Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen.
United should have been on the scoresheet, but they were not. Even though they scored seven goals in their two semi-final legs, the final third of the Premier League match has been a laborious affair.
Why Man United’s attack is struggling
Even the former Sporting coach would not have anticipated that things would be this difficult, but Ruben Amorim’s replacement of Erik ten Hag was never going to be an overnight fix.
Not only have Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund’s finishing prowess been a major factor in their lack of effectiveness, but it could also be claimed that the team lacks creativity and has the wrong players to fully utilize Amorim’s strategy.
The management will need to make major improvements in those areas over the summer, even if Patrick Dorgu was joined in January as a wing-back.
United has had to rely entirely on Bruno Fernandes to create scoring opportunities because Amad has also been sidelined for the past few months. Despite having a fantastic season with 38 goal involvements across all competitions, the captain’s threat has diminished in recent weeks since he hasn’t scored in the Premier League in his last six games.
Given Fernandes’ struggles, they haven’t really found a solution elsewhere. Against West Ham on Sunday, that was all too evident.
Although the team may have been worn out, it is clear that Fernandes does not perform as well in a deeper position and that Kobbie Mainoo, who plays in one of the central no. 10 positions, does not fit into this system.
Even a rejuvenated Mason Mount was unable to expose the Hammers this weekend, and he seldom scores goals at his best.
Hojlund has also had difficulties, mostly as a result of poor service. In all honesty, he ought to have scored against Graham Potter’s team, highlighting Amorim’s forward line issues.
How Hojlund is now becoming Man United’s new Martial
Now let’s go back to the summer of 2015. In a £36 million agreement, Anthony Martial traded the Principality of Monaco for a move to the north-west of England in September, making him the most expensive teenager in history.
He was hailed as one of France’s future great football players at the time. Martial was so highly regarded that a stipulation in his contract called for Monaco to get an additional payment if the forward was deemed the best player in the world.
It’s safe to say, though, that he never lived up to the hype. During his nine years at Old Trafford, Martial fell short of the lofty expectations that many had of him.
He did, in fact, score 90 goals in 317 games while wearing United red, which is by all measures a very good record.
In addition to the 23 goals he scored in the 2019–20 season, 15 of those came in his first campaign. But after that, he only managed to score 20 more goals while playing for United before leaving in 2024. He is currently in Greece for AEK Athens.
Here, there are some parallels between Martial and Hojlund. The Dane, who was signed as a young forward for an absurd £72 million, had a strong debut season and still had potential.
Although he scored 16 goals in his debut season, one more than Martial’s first year, it seems likely that Hojlund’s United career will likewise be remembered as a tale of unrealized potential.
The plain truth is that, even if he has some great qualities, such as a strong running style and the capacity to sprint down the channels, he is still a very annoying player.
The former Atalanta striker has undoubtedly been underutilized this season, but even when he has had opportunities, he has mispronounced his lines. Against West Ham on Sunday, it was undoubtedly the case.
He squandered two fantastic opportunities, which really summed up his season, while only managing to accumulate 31 touches and complete 60% of his passes.
Hojlund, to his credit, gave it his all to get on the receiving end of the first one, but the 20-year-old was only able to shoot straight at the charging Alphonse Areola after Amad had played his colleague in. The second chance was far more obvious.
The net was open and ready for Hojlund to find it about three or four yards out, but Areola sprinted across his line and blocked the shot. Although it was easier to score than to miss, it was still an incredible save.
As a result, Manchester Evening News reporter Samuel Luckhurst, who himself bemoaned that late effort that Areola denied, gave the £85k-per-week forward a poor 4/10 match rating.
Although there are some clear distinctions between Hojlund and Martial, most notably that the latter did have a period of productive play, their tales of being signed for enormous sums of money at an early age are comparable.
Amorim and Co will just hope he can find more consistency than the Frenchman ever did on English shores.
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