April 13, (THEWILL) – Ahead of their upcoming English Premier League clash with Bournemouth, Manchester United manager, Erik ten Hag, has acknowledged the need for a new striker, to help address the club’s goalscoring woes. United have found the net just 45 times this season, the lowest tally among the top 10 teams in the standings.
Rasmus Hojlund, signed for around £72 million in August 2023, has netted 13 goals in 34 appearances across all competitions. However, the team has also relied on the contributions of Anthony Martial, who has scored twice this season but has been sidelined by injury since January, and Argentinian left winger Alejandro Garnacho, who has found the back of the net nine times in 41 outings.
Despite dismissing the possibility of signing a striker in the January transfer window due to financial fair play rules, Ten Hag has now confirmed that the club is working on plans to address the issue in the close-season. “I think it would help”, the Dutch manager told reporters. “You need more options. You need double positioning in every position.”
The United boss acknowledged that the lack of depth in certain positions, including the striker and left-back roles, has had a negative impact on the team’s results. He was confident in the club’s scouting plans and a willingness to collaborate with the new ownership to execute the necessary changes.
“I trust the new ownership that they will work as quick as possible and bring new good structures and that they can execute (the plans)”, Ten Hag added. “But we have a way we want to play, so we know our profiles, it has to match the profiles we want.” With seven games remaining, United currently sit sixth in the league standings on 49 points.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
