We are only 11 games into the Premier League season, yet much has already changed for Manchester United.
The Red Devils endured their worst start to a campaign for the second year in a row, which was enough to see Erik ten Hag get the sack, and now Ruben Amorim is set to lead the club into a new era.
The exciting manager has an impressive track record from his time with Sporting CP, and so there is an element of optimism about what he could achieve at Old Trafford in the coming years.
However, the first thing he’ll need to do is get the squad back to their best, especially Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, who are meant to be the future of his attack but are both being outscored by a player sold by Ten Hag in the summer.
Hojlund & Zirkzee's form
In a bid to bring more goals to the team, United opted to spend around £36.5m on Bologna’s up-and-coming centre-forward, Zirkzee, in the summer.
While that’s not a small fee by any means, it felt like good value at the time, as in 37 appearances for the Italian side, the Dutchman scored 12 goals and provided seven assists.
This reasonably impressive level of output equated to an average of a goal involvement once every 1.94 games, and as he’s still only 23 years old, there was a hope and expectation that he’d only further improve at the Theatre of Dreams.
Unfortunately, despite scoring the winner against Fulham on his debut, the Schiedam-born poacher has since failed to score again in his 16 subsequent appearances, adding just two assists to his tally.
Things haven’t been much better for Hojlund either, as following his return from a hamstring injury early in the campaign, he’s found the back of the net just twice in 12 appearances and hasn’t looked anywhere near the promising player he did last season.
Overall, Amorim has his work cut out with his two young strikers this season, and we’re sure he wishes the club didn’t sell a player in the summer who is currently outscoring them and loving life with his new team.
The former United star currently outscoring Hojlund and Zirkzee
So, there were a fair few players that United sold over the summer, from Aaron Wan-Bissaka to Donny van de Beek, but the one we’re talking about is Scott McTominay.
The Scottish international made 255 appearances for the Red Devils since his first-team debut in the 16/17 season.
While he primarily played in midfield, he racked up a reasonably impressive haul of 29 goals and eight assists in those games.
However, he finally left the Red Devils in August after an offer of £25m from Italian giants Napoli was accepted, and while fans wished him well, there was undoubtedly a feeling that the fee they got for him was a good one.
In reality, the Scotsman’s performances so far this season suggests that they should have asked for more, as in just ten appearances for Antonio Conte’s outfit, the “absolute monster”, as dubbed by one notable content creator, has scored three goals and provided two assists, equating to an average of a goal involvement once every other game.
Appearances
10
12
17
Minutes
749′
639′
699′
Goals
3
2
1
Assists
2
0
2
Goal Involvements per Match
0.50
0.16
0.17
Minutes per Goal Involvement
149.8′
319.5′
233′
Moreover, the Lancaster-born machine is already an incredibly popular figure among the passionate Neapolitan fanbase, and understandably so, as one of his goals was an equaliser away to Inter Milan last week that kept his side on top of the table.
Ultimately, while he earned the club a healthy payday over the summer, McTominay’s incredible form in Italy and United’s misfiring forwards certainly raises questions about the decision to sell him.
However, with the club still outside the top four, there are more pressing matters to attend to for new boss Amorim.
Time's up: Amorim must sell Man Utd flop who earns far more than Garnacho
Ruben Amorim desperately needs to offload the Manchester United flop.
ByEthan LambNov 14, 2024
