Ten Hag axed “ice-cold” Man Utd man, now he’s outscoring Garnacho & Hojlund

Manchester United are having a torrid season in front of goal. They loaned out one of their most prolific goalscorers, Marcus Rashford, and their top goalscorer, Amad, is out for the remainder of the campaign with an injury.

The Red Devils have scored the 13th-lowest number of goals in the top flight this season, with just 28. Four teams sit below them, three of which are currently in the Premier League relegation zone.

United’s expected goals tally suggests they should be performing far better in front of goal than they actually are. As per Understat, United have an expected goals of 38.73xG, meaning they are underperforming by over 10 goals.

Two of the players who Ruben Amorim will hope can find their shooting boots this season are Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund.

Garnacho and Hojlund’s season so far

It has been a tough campaign so far for United’s attacking duo. Argentine winger Garnacho flew out of the blocks under former manager Erik ten Hag but has now been on a run of 13 Premier League games without a goal or assist.

He has managed eight goals and has six assists this season across all competitions, with an impressive six of those 14 goal involvements coming in the Carabao Cup against League One side Barnsley and Leicester City.

As for Hojlund, he has just two Premier League goals this season. The Denmark international has been on a lean run of form in the top flight, with just two strikes in 20 games.

He has seven goals and one assist in 32 appearances this term and has not scored since the 12th of December in the Europa League.

Amorim must be hoping these two, along with some of their teammates, can find their shooting boots towards the end of the season and help United improve their standings in the league and challenge for a cup.

Incredibly, they may have had the perfect player to help with their cause this season, but he left Old Trafford recently. He has actually outscored both Garnacho and Hojlund this season.

The former United star who could have helped them

In the days since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure, United have had some memorable strikers, despite the lack of consistency in their form. That includes the likes of Edinson Cavani and Cristiano Ronaldo, who were invaluable for the club at one stage.

However, none are perhaps as silky as Anthony Martial. The Frenchman joined United as a wonderkid, and although injuries affected his time at the club, there was no doubting his ability or potential.

Martial scored 90 goals and grabbed 46 assists in 317 appearances in that famous Red shirt. The “ice-cold” attacker, as Statman Dave once described him, scored several memorable goals for United, including a wonderful solo effort against Fulham away from home.

The former United number nine arguably had his best season in 2019/20, when his link-up with Rashford was at the peak of its powers.

That season, Martial scored 17 goals and grabbed six assists, but his underlying stats on Sofascore were outstanding. For example, the Frenchman created eight big chances and had a conversion rate of 21%.

Martial left Old Trafford in the summer at the end of his contract, with former manager Ten Hag deciding not to keep him at the club. He now plays in Greece, for AEK Athens, and is flying. The silky French attacker has scored nine goals and has two assists in just 19 games for the Greek side.

Shockingly, the 29-year-old has scored more goals than both Garnacho and Hojlund across all competitions this season, despite playing fewer games than the pair. He has been thriving in the Greek capital.

On reflection, perhaps Amorim wishes United had offered Martial a new deal. He would have been a reliable source of goals, and his injury issues have eased off this season.

If the former United attacker had remained at the club this term, they could have scored far more goals and been performing better as a unit.