When Bruno Fernandes whacked in a surprising strike along 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 objectives in his final 5 video games for Manchester United.
Twelve matches on, he’s nonetheless ready for an additional 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 via a need of attempting. Simply ask any Manchester United fan who has agonised at Fernandes’ speculative and generally determined makes an attempt to search out the web. (There have been two photographs in opposition to Southampton just lately which have been every given barely greater than a one per cent likelihood of entering into by Opta.)
He has had 30 photographs with out success in the course of the previous dozen matches.
His complete 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 purpose.
A slash huge of a submit within the second half of that match at Selhurst Park was the third large likelihood 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 objectives 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 facet within the division, spurning 17 out of 19 clear-cut alternatives. Solely relegation-threatened Southampton have a worse conversion price.
Man Utd have missed extra large probabilities than any Premier League facet this season
It leaves them with simply 5 objectives to their title, nearly 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 purpose to his title – joins Fernandes and Alejandro Garnacho among the many high six gamers within the league with the worst xG efficiency this time period.
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Check out all 16 of Manchester United’s large probabilities they’ve missed within the Premier League to date this season, greater than some other membership in Europe’s high 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 might 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.
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The hope shall be Rasmus Hojlund’s return to full health will assist. And Marcus Rashford has proven indicators of getting again in the 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?
