This season, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Rasmus Hojlund, and Alejandro Garnacho have each scored eight Premier League goals. The firepower is no longer effective.

Manchester United have struggled to score goals this season, with only Sheffield United and Burnley scoring less goals in the Premier League.

Erik ten Hag’s strikers have let him down this season, and the team’s greatest danger has been Scott McTominay, who was free to leave the club in the summer. McTominay has five goals in the league, including braces against Brentford and Chelsea.

McTominay got six points on his own with those goals, particularly against Brentford, and United would be in the bottom half of the table without them.

You’d have to bet large money on Rashford, Martial, Hojlund, and Garnacho scoring just eight league goals by season’s end, and those players need to contribute more if results are to improve.

Cole Palmer, who is only 21 years old and is in his first full season at senior level, has scored eight league goals for Chelsea, showing the ineffectiveness of the attackers lack red.

United has won ten league games, nine of which have been decided by a single goal. United’s only other victory by a wider margin came against Everton at Goodison Park, where they won 3-0.

Following a disputed points deduction, Everton fans were hoping for a success against Manchester United in November, but Garnacho’s incredible early goal hushed them.

It could have been a different game if Garnacho hadn’t scored in the first few minutes, knocking the Toffees out and leaving them unable to regroup.

In that game, Rashford scored his second goal of the season after regular penalty taker Bruno Fernandes passed the ball to him in the hopes of instilling some much-needed confidence in him.

Rashford’s form has fallen after hitting 30 goals in all competitions and having his greatest season yet, and he’s only scored three league goals after grabbing another.

At this point last year, Rashford scored seven league goals and had been fantastic for England at the World Cup in Qatar, and his failure to reproduce those levels has contributed to the team’s struggles.

Rashford has been severe but legitimate criticism for his performances, but his offensive comrades have also been unimpressive, and it is expected that the attackers will be able to overcome their early season follies in 2024.

United’s first game of the new year is in the FA Cup against Wigan Athletic, who are near the bottom of League One, so the match at the DW Stadium on Monday should be high-scoring.

Wigan have conceded three goals in the last few weeks, two to Port Vale and one to Reading, both of which are in the bottom half of the third tier.

A cup game will always present a unique challenge, and there should be a strong home audience, but United has no excuse not to destroy a faltering team.

The FA Cup is the only prize available this season, and Ten Hag plans to have a strong team. Garnacho, Hojlund, and Rashford should start, and they should make the most of their chances.

Throughout Ten Hag’s tenure, United have not won by more than three goals, and a win by four against Wigan would give the forwards confidence going forward, should they score.

They’ve taken a lot of criticism this season, and it won’t end until they start scoring more goals.