Man Utd forwards among worst ever as damning stats suggest selling Lukaku was a mistake
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IN THE FIVE games after their opening day mauling of Chelsea, Manchester United have only managed to score as many goals as they did during that 4-0 win at Old Trafford.
In contrast, noisy neighbours Manchester City equalled their rivals total Premier League tally during their 8-0 obliteration of Watford.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is under mounting pressure from supporters to be sacked following another abject away performance at West Ham.
SunSport columnist Alan Shearer labelled the Red Devils "unbelievably bad" while Roy Keane claimed it was "scary" how far the club have fallen... and the stats do nothing but prove his point.
The double sales of Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez to Inter Milan have left United relying on Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and young Mason Greenwood.
So far, the trio have returned five of the club's eight league goals this season, with two of those strikes coming from the penalty spot.
United are currently hitting the back of the net at an average of 1.33 a game, a rate only worsened under Louis van Gaal in 2015/2016.
A huge decline on the 1999/2000 Red Devils side, that Solskjaer himself scored 12 league goals as part of an overall-best 97 strikes, that achieved a rate of 2.55 a game on route to lifting the title.
Both Rashford and Martial have faced criticisms that neither of them are natural strikers in the same way as the departed Lukaku.
A day after the Belgian had scored his third goal in four Serie A matches to maintain Inter's perfect league start in the Milan derby, United were forced to turn to Jesse Lingard to play up top.
Lukaku, who was shown the exit door for not fitting Solskjaer's style of play, still managed double figures in the league in each of his two years at Old Trafford.
And the decision not to replace him with an out-an-out No9 has already proved to be a big mistake, with this United team the fourth worst for shots per game since records began.
Solskjaer's side have attempted 82 shots so far, a return of 13.7 per game, and with Rashford and Martial carrying injuries, it would take a minor miracle for them to catch their 2008/9 counterparts.
The fabled trio of Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, and Carlos Tevez were joined by Dimitar Berbatov and that team sit top of the table with a rate of 18.8.
Rashford, Martial and co are also second from bottom for shots on target with a paltry 26 from six games, which is a score of just 4.3.
In contrast, the United team of 2007/8 that featured the likes of Ronaldo, Rooney, and Tevez earned a 6.8 on route to beating Liverpool to lift the title.
Lukaku's record in front of goal, despite not having a manager that "motivated" him, show the importance of a striker who can finish his chances.
The 2019/20 team are, again, the fourth worse at converting their shots into goals, with a score of 9.8% of their 82 shots finding the back of the net.
Meanwhile, Sir Alex Ferguson's last season at the helm was incidentally the most clinical side United have ever had in the Premier League era at 15.3%.
The arrival of Robin van Persie from rivals Arsenal was seen as a major coup in bringing the title back to Old Trafford in 2012/13, with the Dutchman winning the Golden Boot following his 26 goals.
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