When Bruno Fernandes whacked in a surprising strike together with his weaker left foot from 25 yards and slid on his knees in entrance of the Stretford Finish in celebration of clinching a comeback win over Sheffield United final April, he had racked up seven targets in his final 5 video games for Manchester United.
Twelve matches on, he’s nonetheless ready for one more one.
Fernandes’ most prolific spell of his Man Utd profession has been adopted by his longest drought.
His failure to interrupt the streak has not been by a need of attempting. Simply ask any Manchester United fan who has agonised at Fernandes’ speculative and typically determined makes an attempt to seek out the online. (There have been two photographs in opposition to Southampton not too long ago which have been every given barely greater than a one per cent probability of stepping into by Opta.)
He has had 30 photographs with out success through the previous dozen matches.
His whole of 17 makes an attempt within the Premier League this season is the very best of any participant but to attain in Europe’s main divisions.
Fernandes has not even hit the goal in his previous 4 Premier League video games, though he did go shut in opposition to Crystal Palace, bouncing a shot up off the bottom and onto the body of the aim.
A slash extensive of a submit within the second half of that match at Selhurst Park was the third large probability he has missed this season, including to the 2 he spurned from one-vs-one probabilities on the opening evening of the marketing campaign at dwelling to Fulham.
Sadly for United boss Erik ten Hag, this isn’t simply a problem remoted to his captain.
Man Utd rank third for anticipated targets this season within the Premier League, with a complete of 9.10. The standard of openings they’re carving out is impressively excessive. However they’ve missed extra large probabilities than any aspect within the division, spurning 17 out of 19 clear-cut alternatives. Solely relegation-threatened Southampton have a worse conversion charge.
Man Utd have missed extra large probabilities than any Premier League aspect this season
It leaves them with simply 5 targets to their identify, virtually half as many as they might be anticipated to have scored from the possibilities they’ve created.
Joshua Zirkzee – who has missed all 4 of his personal large probabilities, though he does have one aim to his identify – joins Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho among the many prime six gamers within the league with the worst xG efficiency this time period.
Please use Chrome browser for a extra accessible video participant
Check out all 16 of Manchester United’s large probabilities they’ve missed within the Premier League to this point this season, greater than every other membership in Europe’s prime 5 leagues
With simply two wins from their first 5 Premier League video games, Ten Hag can rightly look to the 2-1 defeat at Brighton and 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace as outcomes which may simply have been improved with sharper ending from his gamers.
With United down in eleventh within the early Premier League desk, already 4 factors off the highest 4, floor has been misplaced.
Sunday twenty ninth September 4:00pm
Kick off 4:30pm
The hope can be Rasmus Hojlund’s return to full health will assist. And Marcus Rashford has proven indicators of getting again in direction of harmful kind.
However the frustration for Fernandes goes on. Can the Portuguese lastly discover Stretford Finish salvation in opposition to Spurs on Sunday?
