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Manchester United are the most in-form team in the Premier League right now, having picked up five wins from their last six matches and a 3-0 victory over Everton on Sunday could be a sign of better things to come.
The Red Devils were much-improved going forward and all three attackers that started managed to find the net, including Alejandro Garnacho who already may have one hand on the Goal of the Season award for his outrageous bicycle kick after three minutes.
Rasmus Hojlund did not feature during the game as the £72m summer signing suffered a muscle strain prior to the international break.
The Dane is still waiting for his first goal in the league but head coach Erik ten Hag could have the perfect solution staring him right in the face after United toppled Everton at the weekend.
Rasmus Hojlund’s stats this season
Hojlund is Manchester United’s top goalscorer in all competitions with five goals, having scored all five in the Champions League. Coming off early with a muscle problem against Luton Town two-and-a-half weeks ago meant that the 21-year-old was forced to wait a few weeks before trying to break his duck in the Premier League.
The striker’s statistics in the Champions League compared to the Premier League are night and day, making him look like a completely different player in each contest.
Rasmus Hojlund – 2023/24 |
||
---|---|---|
Per 90 Metrics |
Champions League |
Premier League |
Goals |
1.32 |
0 |
Expected Goals |
0.90 |
0.34 |
Shots |
2.63 |
1.94 |
Shots On Target |
1.58 |
0.56 |
Goals Per Shot |
0.5 |
0 |
Touches In Opposition’s Box |
3.68 |
4.58 |
Stats via FBref |
However, the ex-Atalanta man is back in training and could feature for the English giants this afternoon as Ten Hag’s side travel to Turkey to face Galatasaray in front of an intimidating crowd at Rams Park.
Given Hojlund’s goalscoring record in Europe’s elite competition this term, he could be given the nod up top which will cause a reshuffling to the frontline. As such, the Dutch coach could roll back the clock for one player who started at Goodison Park just a few days ago.
Anthony Martial’s stats this season
Both Garnacho and Marcus Rashford got on the scoresheet on Sunday but it was Anthony Martial who made Man United’s forward line so potent, scoring a goal and winning the penalty which was tucked away by Rashford.
This was the Frenchman’s first Premier League goal since last May and his first league goal away from home since October 2022. Martial’s game-time has been quite limited this season ever since the arrival of Hojlund, having played just 480 minutes of football in all competitions, including merely 14 in the Champions League. Having been a key player for United in his first few seasons at the club, Martial’s importance has severely diminished in more recent campaigns.
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Martial’s best season for United came during the 2019/20 campaign under former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who labelled his striker as “absolutely superb” for his displays in a red shirt. Meanwhile, ex-player Lee Sharpe called the France international “unplayable”.
However, the £36m signing’s second-best goal return was in his debut season at Old Trafford where he largely played as a winger. Overall, Martial has played on the left 127 times for Manchester United in his career, scoring 32 goals and recording 26 assists, as per Transfermarkt, although he has been deployed there just four times across the last three seasons.
Anthony Martial |
||
---|---|---|
Season |
Appearances |
Goals |
2023/24 |
16 |
2 |
2022/23 |
29 |
9 |
2021/22 |
23 |
2 |
2020/21 |
36 |
7 |
2019/20 |
48 |
23 |
2018/19 |
38 |
12 |
2017/18 |
45 |
11 |
2016/17 |
42 |
8 |
2015/16 |
53 |
18 |
Stats via Transfermarkt. |
Despite Garnacho’s excellent goal from the left flank, Ten Hag could potentially get the best out of Hojlund by deploying Martial in his natural position and placing the Argentine over on the right, dropping Rashford completely.
Despite featuring a lot less than Rashford, Martial has averaged 1.54 key passes per 90 this term compared to his counterpart’s 1.38 per 90. Additionally, Martial boasts 0.19 assists per 90 to Rashford’s 0.2 per 90.
Rashford is struggling this season and Martial is champing at the bit to get some more game-time. Perhaps it’s time for Ten Hag to feed the Frenchman who could form a nice partnership with Hojlund up top.
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