MANCHESTER UNITED’S desperation for another striking option is becoming critical following yesterday’s 1-0 defeat to Newcastle. The Red Devils have failed to score any of their last 58 headed attempts in the Premier League. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men are really struggling for goals of any type of late. Yesterday’s loss followed a drab 0-0 at […]
MANCHESTER UNITED’S desperation for another striking option is becoming critical following yesterday’s 1-0 defeat to Newcastle.
The Red Devils have failed to score any of their last 58 headed attempts in the Premier League.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men are really struggling for goals of any type of late.
Yesterday’s loss followed a drab 0-0 at AZ Alkmaar, 1-1 draws with Arsenal and Rochdale and a 2-0 loss at West Ham.
They have not scored more than one in a game since the 4-0 win on the opening weekend of the campaign against Chelsea.
Solskjaer’s side are yet to score a header this season and managed just four across all of last term with Paul Pogba and Alexis Sanchez adding to Romelu Lukaku’s two.
Incredibly, the last time United scored from a set piece was when Lukaku volleyed in during the 3-1 win at Crystal Palace on February 27 – 222 days ago in what was United’s last away with in the league. Every other team in the division has managed it since.
In the current squad, Pogba has four headed Prem goals, Harry Maguire and Marcus Rashford have three, meanwhile Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial have two.
Rashford led the line for United at St James’ Park but it was defenders Maguire and Marcos Rojo who both had glorious chances to nod one in either side of Matty Longstaff’s drilled winner.
Meanwhile, Scott McTominay should have won the game against Arsenal last week but he could not keep his header down.
It means the signing of Mario Mandzukic in January is becoming more and more of a priority.
The 6ft 3ins striker would offer something very different to Rashford and Martial who much prefer to use their pace to run behind defences and cause trouble.
Mandzukic, 33, can play with his back to goal, offers a serious physical presence and would help to fill the void left behind by Lukaku in the summer.
Since the start of the 2010/11 season, only Cristiano Ronaldo and Fernando Llorente have scored more than his 39 headed goals in Europe’s top five leagues.
He scores 40 per cent of his goals with his head with one every 481 minutes.
In comparison, Rashford has three headers, at a rate of ten per cent, with one every 2,466 minutes.
And Martial’s record is even worse with his head, with just two goals at 4.3 per cent and one every 5,154 minutes.
As revealed by SunSport, Mandzukic is a target for the Old Trafford club in the New Year.
The Croat is yet to feature for Juventus this season and it therefore seems the Old Lady would be willing to let him leave.
Mandzukic is high on Solskjaer’s wishlist and United are willing to offer him a short-term deal of either six or 18 months to help bolster their attack.
