Even if the international break is almost over, Erik ten Hag, the manager of Manchester United, doesn’t seem to be nearing the end of his career just yet.

Though there have been rumors of Thomas Tuchel and other names floating around for the past week or two, unless something major happens, the Dutchman will remain in charge of the team this weekend when they visit Brentford in an attempt to snap the team’s five-game losing streak.

The absence of choices at the defensive end, where Diogo Dalot is the only healthy senior full-back, is a major problem for the former Ajax manager. However, United may have more cause for concern at the top of the pitch.

Despite embarrassing losses to Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool, the Red Devils’ defense has, oddly, been quite good this season. With four Premier League clean sheets, Andre Onana is presently leading the pack.

Andre Nana
Conversely, only Southampton, the bottom team in the division, has scored fewer goals than the Old Trafford team, indicating the need for improvement in order to ignite this young attacking group.

Man Utd’s problems at center forward

Although there is no assurance, this season’s goals have come from the wings, where Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho each have four goals, and Amad Diallo has one goal across all competitions in 2024–25.

Hojlund-Ten-Hag
Through the middle, things have been different. Rasmus Hojlund, who is sidelined due to injury, has only scored once, while Joshua Zirkzee, who signed in the summer, has also not scored since making his debut in the 1-0 victory over Fulham.

After scoring just 11 goals in Serie A for Bologna the previous season, the £36.5 million man’s late goal against the Cottagers gave him the ideal start to life in Manchester and temporarily allayed fears about whether he could be United’s goal scorer.

After missing four “big chances” in the league alone thus far, the £105k-per-week marksman has since flattered to deceive when deployed in the center.

The 23-year-old, by his own admission, is more of a nine-and-a-half than a true center-forward, but any forward worth their salt would find it depressing to hear that he has only scored one goal in ten appearances.

Journalist Sam Pilger claims that the Dutchman, who was once compared to Brazilian icon Ronaldinho by former manager Thiago Motta, is now looking like a “spectacularly ill-judged” deal. Something has to give.

Manchester United’s Kai Havertz

Although it may not be a term that fans would like to hear, patience may be the key to beating Zirkzee.

Manchester United’s Zirkzee
Despite his relative youth, the player has only sometimes had a permanent home between stints at Bayern Munich, Parma, Anderlecht, and Bologna. It may only take some time and a run of games to allow the five-cap international to reach his full potential.

United only needs to turn at Kai Havertz at Arsenal as an example of a player who can bounce back after a rough start in new surroundings. The German marksman, who is 6 feet 4 inches tall like Zirkzee, had trouble scoring at first after moving from Chelsea for £65 million.

kai-havertz-arsenal
Initial deployment of the Champions League winner in an unconventional central midfield role by Mikel Arteta prompted criticism for his performances, with former Chelsea player Frank Leboeuf calling the deal a “mistake”.

To his credit, Arteta persevered when Havertz was starting for the team. After switching back to a center-forward position, he performed admirably, finishing the 2023–24 season with 13 goals and seven assists in the top division.

Arisenal-stats-Kai-Havertz
Currently enjoying a successful start to the season, the 25-year-old has scored six goals in only ten appearances across all competitions. medical.

With the expectation that Zirkzee, who FBref claims to be a player comparable to the Gunners star, can accomplish the same, Havertz has silenced his detractors and then some.

Havertz vs. Zirkzee: the previous year

Stat (per 90)

Havertz

Zirkzee

Objectives without penalties

0.44

0.28

Helps

0.17

0.11

Shot-producing maneuvers

3.30

3.02

Attempts to pass

29.30

30.06

Pass the final exam.

78.6% of the sample

78.2 percent

advancing passes

2.96

2.92

The Progressive carries

1.77

1.62

Effective attacks

0.59

1.86

Contacts in the opposing box

5.64

4.54

Attacks

1.06

1.02

Interceptions

0.59

0.14

Statistics through FBref

The two both provide a creative outlet in the middle, as evidenced by their identical records for progressive passes and carries, in particular, over the past year. This similarity is clearly seen in the table above.

If the ball is carried into the penalty area or is pushed at least 10 yards from its starting point toward the opponent’s goal, the carry is deemed progressive.

Like Havertz, the new United player has a laid-back approach that may annoy supporters and commentators alike when things aren’t going well. However, analyst Ben Mattinson praised the “insane athlete” for his ability to pull things together neatly as part of a fluid attack.

Similar to the former Bayer Leverkusen player, who has functioned as a false nine or on the flanks in the past, Zirkzee might not be your typical number nine, but with experience, he could prove to be a valuable player in that central position.

Hojlund may undoubtedly be a roadblock and may need to shift to a number-ten position in order to establish his rhythm, but the Netherlands international is unquestionably a valuable asset considering that he finished the previous season as Serie A’s Young Player of the Year.

Even though Havertz’s situation shows that United hasn’t seen the best of him yet, it is still much too soon to write him off entirely.