It would help – Erik ten Hag hopes Man Utd sign proven goalscorer in the summer
Erik ten Hag has said Manchester United signing a proven goalscorer this summer “would help” – while stressing the striking options with which they entered the current season “should have been enough”.
Having last term finished third in the Premier League and won the Carabao Cup in their first campaign under Ten Hag’s management, United have subsequently underwhelmed.
With seven games to go in the league, they lie sixth, 11 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham, as well as fifth-placed Aston Villa, and have the lowest goals-for tally in the top 10 with 45.
Twenty-one-year-old striker Rasmus Hojlund has netted 13 times in all competitions since being signed last summer to join an attack also featuring Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.
Rashford has eight United goals to his name for 2023-24, and Martial – sidelined since groin surgery in January, with Ten Hag unsure if he will be available again before the end of the season – two.
Asked at a press conference ahead of Saturday’s league trip to Bournemouth how vital it was that United sign a proven hitman this summer, Ten Hag said: “I think it would help.
“In this plan we constructed we should have had enough goals. You count on goals from Rashy – last season he scored 30. You count on goals from Martial – in my first season he played very well and also in very important games he had a high impact on our performances.
“And then bringing a goalscorer like Rasmus Hojlund in, it should have been enough goals.”
Sir Jim Ratcliffe became minority owner at United in February, taking control of football operations.
A change was confirmed this week as the club on Tuesday announced John Murtough was stepping down as football director, and United are looking to bring in Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth and Southampton director of football Jason Wilcox.
Ten Hag said with regard to the summer: “We are working in the background on plans with scouting. We are working on our plan, the plan is ready, but it has to execute, and I trust the new ownership that they will work as quick as possible and bring new good structures and that they can execute.
“We have good plans, I think also with quality players. You see now about recruitment: (Andre) Onana is doing very well, Rasmus Hojlund, everyone is seeing his big talent and potential. (Lisandro) Martinez, everyone was hugely happy with him, and there are others.
“So the recruitment is good. But if they (new directors) have even better ideas, we are always open. If you have options but they come with better options we are open.
“But we have a way we want to play, so we know our profiles, so it has to match the profiles we want.”
As well as the changes to the club hierarchy, the season has seen United – currently assessing Rashford, as well as midfielder Scott McTominay ahead of the Bournemouth game – hit by considerable injury problems, while there have also been other issues involving players such as that which led to Jadon Sancho leaving for Borussia Dortmund on loan in January.
Asked about the challenges, Ten Hag said: “The thing is, you have to be realistic – as a manager, it’s like a minister, you don’t have anything in your hands but at the end of the day, and that is what you have to accept, you are responsible for everything. And I take that.
“Some things… it just happens, and then you have to make the best out of it.”
He added: “This business, this industry, is about results and many see only the results, but you have to see also what’s underneath. I see underneath and I see the potential. I see the direction. So I’m positive in the way we want to go, and we will be successful.”
Premier League
Premier League title race: Predicting the run-in and eventual 2023/24 champions
Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City involved in three-horse race for Premier League title
Each side ready to pounce if rivals slip up in final months of the season
90min predicts the run-in and eventual 2023/24 champions
By Jude Summerfield
Apr 12, 2024
Liverpool and Arsenal are battling Man City
Liverpool and Arsenal are battling Man City / Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/GettyImages
The point in the season where champions are crowned and losers are consoled is upon us, with Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City all fighting for Premier League title glory.
The three English giants have participated in one of the best title races in recent memory and each believe they have what it takes to claim the silverware come the end of the campaign in May.
The Premier League can be at its most unpredictable during the months of April and May with so much at stake, but that won't stop us at 90min predicting the last matches of the 2023/24 season and who the potential champions might be.
Match result predictions for Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City in 2023/24 Premier League title race
Leandro Trossard, Declan Rice
Will Arsenal end the season on top / Steve Bardens/GettyImages
Arsenal are in the driving seat in the Premier League title race and know eight wins from eight matches will cement their place at the top of the table. That said, there are more than a few tricky fixtures for Mikel Arteta's side to navigate.
While they will be favourites for each of their upcoming battles with Aston Villa, Wolves and Chelsea, all three sides provide unique threats that could hinder the Gunners' title hopes.
There are also the small matters of trips to Manchester United and Tottenham and victories against those two top-six rivals could ultimately prove the difference between success and failure for the north Londoners.
Liverpool have got through the season with functional football often far from their scintillating best and their wastefulness in front of goal has at times proven to be their Achilles heel.
They should be able to navigate imminent clashes with Crystal Palace, Fulham and Merseyside rivals Everton before a tougher three-game gauntlet of West Ham, Tottenham and Aston Villa. They'll need to emerge with enough points there to stay in the hunt ahead of the final-day hosting of Wolves.
However, it's that tricky Villa Park game which could see Jurgen Klopp's side come unstuck, with the Villans' home form key to their Champions League qualification bid throughout 2023/24.
It's always daft to discount Man City from the title discussion regardless of their start to each campaign. Pep Guardiola's side have proved they can go on winning streaks to claim silverware in the past and they'll likely string together a lengthy run of wins against the likes of Luton Town, Brighton, Nottingham Forest and Wolves.
They play twice in Gameweek 37, including visiting Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in their penultimate league match of the season.
The Cityzens may well win all of their remaining games, but that wouldn't be enough to claim the title if Arsenal matched them.
Gameweek
Arsenal
Liverpool
Man City
33
Arsenal 2-1 Aston Villa
Liverpool 2-0 Crystal Palace
Man City 4-0 Luton Town
34
Wolves 0-3 Arsenal, Arsenal 3-1 Chelsea
Fulham 1-2 Liverpool, Everton 0-1 Liverpool
Brighton 0-2 Man City
35
Tottenham 1-2 Arsenal
West Ham 1-3 Liverpool
Nottingham Forest 1-3 Man City
36
Arsenal 3-0 Bournemouth
Liverpool 3-2 Tottenham
Man City 3-0 Wolves
37
Man Utd 1-2 Arsenal
Aston Villa 1-1 Liverpool
Fulham 0-2 Man City, Tottenham 1-3 Man City
38
Everton 2-0 Arsenal
Liverpool 2-0 Wolves
Man City 3-0 West Ham
Final predicted 2023/24 Premier League table
So where do all of those predicted results leave us in terms of the final 2023/24 Premier League table? If all three teams do indeed handle the pressure and win most of their remaining games, each could end the campaign with 90 points or more.
However, if the above match results come to fruition, it will be Arsenal who are perched at the top of the standings with a first Premier League title since 2003/04.
The Gunners have shown an increased defensive resolve to complement their razor-sharp attack - which had attracted criticism earlier in the season - and haven't lost a league game since December.
Each side remains in Europe - Arsenal and Man City in the Champions League and Liverpool in the Europa League - and there's no doubt each side's chances of glory in the Premier League could be affected by potential injuries and fatigue suffered on the continent.
Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City all should pick up regular wins in the run-in, but part of the Premier League's appeal is its unpredictability, so continue to expect the unexpected.
Pos
Team
Played
GD
Pts
1.
Arsenal
38
+64
92
2.
Man City
38
+58
91
3.
Liverpool
38
+51
90
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