Can Solskjaer get Man Utd scoring freely again?

The Red Devils have scored just 10 times in nine Premier League games this season and Paul Parker does not see an obvious solution to their problems

On the face of it, Manchester United are a curious case.

They have impressed in their games against the best teams they have played so far this season – Leicester City, Liverpool and Chelsea – yet struggled against the Premier League's smaller sides.

However, their issues with opposition of supposedly lesser quality are easy to explain.

United are able to play on the counterattack against sides who have the confidence to focus on their own forward lines.


Brendan Rodgers, Jurgen Klopp and Frank Lampard have the know-how and the players to try to outscore their opponents.

The best chance of victory they possess is to exploit the pace and technical ability of their forwards, and supplement those attempts with the rest of their resources.

Such an approach does not seem to work against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad, who are capable of soaking up intense pressure, with summer signings Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry Maguire now making their presence felt in an increasingly sturdy defence.

In addition, Scott McTominay is an able defensive midfielder who does a fine job protecting the back four.

However, United's problems arise when they are forced to break down deep-lying opponents.

Marcus Rashford and Daniel James are blessed with such blistering pace that they can hurt any side on the counterattack – but their speed on the break is rendered useless against teams that sit back.

When faced with a blanket defence, United instead need to move the ball quickly – something that former right-back Paul Parker feels they are presently incapable of doing.

“United don’t have enough players who can play that game," he tells Goal. "They don’t play to get the ball or their midfielders into the box as quickly as possible.

"McTominay, for example, does not get into the penalty area often enough."





GOAL