Erik ten Hag was sacked on Monday, having failed to get the most out of Manchester United’s attacking options, who have struggled massively in front of goal this season
Man Utd reportedly in talks with Ruben Amorim
Manchester United’s misfiring strikers are to blame for the sacking of Erik ten Hag, according to Dwight Yorke.
United are closing in on Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim after deciding to end Ten Hag’s two-and-a-half-year stint as United boss on Monday. The Dutchman was sacked in the wake of the 2-1 defeat at West Ham on Sunday – a result which left United 14th in the Premier League with just 11 points from nine games.
The team has struggled for consistency across the board this season, but it is in attack where their deficiencies are most obvious. United have scored just eight league goals – a total bettered by every side bar struggling Southampton and Crystal Palace.
“At the end of the day, Manchester United haven’t been good enough in front of goal this season,” former United striker Yorke told SafestCasinoSites.co.uk. “It’s what would have cost Erik ten Hag his job – we’ve been missing far too many chances.
“For a club that is built on the tradition of attacking, to have scored eight goals in nine games is frankly nowhere near good enough. We’ve got the players in the squad to score goals. The quality is there, I think it needs to be untapped. Ultimately, that profligacy in front of goal has cost us too many results this season and it’s also cost the previous manager his job.”
Winger Alejandro Garnacho is the only player to have scored more than once for United this season, with Marcus Rashford, Joshua Zirkzee, Rasmus Hojlund and Amad on one goal and captain Bruno Fernandes yet to get off the mark. They have been coached this season by legendary Premier League goalscorer Ruud van Nistelrooy, who is now interim boss, but don’t seem to have taken this advice on board.
“You can see that the United players have been snatching at chances, and it’s a vicious circle where the more chances you miss, the more pressure builds, and it becomes harder to score,” Yorke said. “Whereas if United were free-flowing, everything comes naturally. Maybe the players are overthinking, maybe they’re a little bit anxious.
“I feel the players are playing with tension. I won’t say the lack of ability, it’s more of a confidence thing. Negative vibes can spread very quickly in football teams that are not getting the results that people expect. Everybody puts their heads down.
“I won’t say the players like Fernandes, Rashford and Garnacho aren’t good enough to take the chances that United are creating. Hojlund is in that equation, Joshua Zirkzee is not quite an accomplished finisher, but there is enough finishing ability there.
“The reality is, that this lack of goals boils down to a lack of confidence and that’s down to poor results and the team not playing well. It’s a horrible combination for a football club. United’s players have been snatching at chances and they’re paying the price for it.”
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