LVG may not bolster Man United attack in January

Paul Hirst 11:35 02/01/2016
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  • Suffering: Wayne Rooney.

    Manchester United may have one of the worst goalscoring records in the league but that does not mean Louis van Gaal will definitely be buying a striker in January.

    Despite an encouraging performance in the 0-0 draw against Chelsea, Van Gaal is still under pressure to deliver a win when United host Swansea Saturday.

    The statistics make for uncomfortable reading for the Dutchman. United have not won in their last eight matches – their worst run for 26 years – and they have collected four points fewer than David Moyes had by this stage in his solitary season as United manager.

    The club have recorded seven goalless draws this term and in the last 25 league matches, they have only scored 25 goals. Outside the relegation zone, only West Brom, Swansea and Stoke have scored fewer goals than United this term.

    Van Gaal had backed Wayne Rooney to deliver 25 goals this season, but at the halfway point he has found the net just twice in the league while Anthony Martial has struggled to maintain the prolific scoring rate he enjoyed shortly after moving to Old Trafford.

    Van Gaal concedes United’s poor form in front of goal is a concern.

    “That is our problem (scoring goals),” the United manager said. “When you analyse most matches we were the dominating team, but we didn’t score.

    “How many players have had the chances to score and why they didn’t score? You cannot always explain that.”

    Van Gaal has been linked with a number of forwards, including Sadio Mane, Edinson Cavani and Yoshinori Muto, but the 64-year-old was reluctant to say he would spend big in the window.

    “We are looking always for solutions in the team. Also, for this moment, but we still have a good team and we can still score goals,” Van Gaal said. “I don’t believe too much in competition. I believe in trust and confidence. Maybe that is wrong but I have done it all my life. I give trust to the players.

    “The problem can be solved with money but also on the training pitch. We are training but scoring goals is a quality. We have that quality but at this moment there is a lack of confidence at the right time or we need to buy another striker.”

    In fact, Van Gaal believes adding another striker in the window could put more unwarranted pressure on the players he already has.

    The Dutchman points to the example of Javier Hernandez, who left for Bayer Leverkusen last summer, as an example of how frustrated a striker can become if he is not playing

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