Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo mistake has finally been put right

Manchester United failed to score against Crystal Palace last Saturday confirming their worst start to a league season for 34 years.

The Old Trafford crowd is becoming all too familiar with lacklustre attacking play. United's forward line appears to be missing that joy of ingenuity in the final third, the creative freedom expected when playing in a red shirt.

Last season's streak of low-scoring wins may have perhaps given United fans a false sense of security. Whilst grinding out three points can give instant gratification, it papers over the cracks when looking at the bigger picture. When it comes to securing convincing wins, United have only scored more than three goals in one Premier League game since the arrival of Erik ten Hag - against Chelsea in May. Compare that to the blue side of Manchester (11) and Liverpool (5), and United's biggest problem becomes clear.

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United struggle to create clear-cut chances. Although averaging 15.6 shots per game in the Premier League so far this season, Ten Hag's men have only found the net on seven occasions.

All of the nine points won in the league have come from wins by a single goal despite having expected goals (xG) of nearly double (11.3) their chances taken. It seems the burden of a clinical touch is weighing too heavily on some players in the squad.

For many fans it will feel like an eternity ago that the club could call upon world-class strikers like Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie.

Since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, plenty of 'goalscorers' have come to the club. It is no surprise United have targeted proven strikers