Manchester United's Premier League problem could soon be fixed with the return of one player

Having been critical of his players for not taking their chances when they have come their way recently, Erik ten Hag would have been delighted to see his side hit Barnsley for seven on Tuesday night.

Manchester United breezed past the League One side, winning 7-0 at Old Trafford to progress to the Carabao Cup fourth round. Marcus Rashford (2), Alejandro Garnacho (2), Christian Eriksen (2) and Antony got the goals.

Coupled with their 3-0 win over Southampton in the Premier League three days earlier, United will make the trip to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace on Saturday with a spring in their step. However, the Londoners are likely to serve up a stronger challenge than Southampton and Barnsley did.

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Selhurst Park has been a bogey ground for United in recent years, winning just one of their last five visits. Their last visit resulted in an embarrassing 4-0 defeat in May, piling the pressure on Ten Hag.

But having scored 10 goals in their last two matches, and registered two clean sheets, United will have every right to feel confident of getting a positive result in the capital.

However, the challenge for United now is to maintain similar standards and to try and get into the habit of winning games with a sense of conviction and authority. Scoring goals has been a problem throughout Ten Hag's tenure, with United's biggest win under him prior to Tuesday's mauling of Barnsley being 4-1.

But despite United's indifferent start to the season, they have been creating chances. In their opening six competitive fixtures this season, they have