Even after one game it is abundantly clear that a lack of incision in the final third needs to be addressed
No pressure there, then, Rasmus Hojlund. Manchester United’s new centre forward sat in the directors’ box, as he works his way back to full fitness, and was given glaring evidence as to why the club have invested so much money in him. And why there will be such a great demand for him to deliver immediately when he does play.
So no pressure there for a 20-year-old Dane who has cost £72 million and who will, after this fortunate victory over a superb Wolves, be even more the hoped for saviour of a club that has a sorry recent record of misfiring No 9s. And one who has never played in the Premier League before.
Pre-match and Sir Alex Ferguson nailed it. “If they get the centre-forward ready quickly they’ll be a really good side,” he said as he enthused about the transformative effect Erik ten Hag has had. “Because that’s what they’ve really lacked, a centre-forward, in the last few years.”
Not since, in fact, Ferguson surprisingly brought in Robin van Persie from Arsenal and delivered his 13th and final Premier League title, in his final season in 2012-13, have United had that true No 9. That No 9 who could fulfil the role. A No 9 who looked and played the part.
They have had Wayne Rooney, of course, but his real strength was working off another forward and he is long gone. They have Marcus Rashford, who led the line against Wolves, but his best work comes from the wings rather than being the target through the middle. Apart from that there has been a succession of strikers who have either flattered to deceive or have simply not been good enough or have been past their best: from Radamel Falcao to Romelu Lukaku to being forced to bring in a stop-gap on loan in Wout Weghorst which was the greatest indictment of all.
Manchester United lacked cutting edge in their opening Premier League game of the season Credit: Reuters/Dylan Martinez
All that time the one they wanted, the one they really wanted, Harry Kane has continued to elude them and when he finally did leave Tottenham Hotspur it was to Bayern Munich. By then United had already invested in Hojlund. So he has to be the one. No pressure there, then.
United certainly felt the pressure against Wolves. If they wanted to bare their teeth in the opening round of fixtures, if they wanted to lay down a marker after playing last among the ‘Big Six’, then this was almost as ineffective as it gets. Instead Wolves showed their fangs and will still not believe how they did not win.
They will be furious that they lost, not least with the failure of Video Assistant Referee Michael Salisbury to ask referee Simon Hooper to review an incident when goalkeeper Andre Onana wiped out Max Kilman in injury-time. It had to be a penalty. Instead Wolves’ new manager Gary O’Neil was booked for protesting.
If it was a game that exposed United’s need for a striker then it also showed a great deficiency in actually providing chances for one. This was a poor night for the wingers who started and while there was more of an excuse for 19-year-old Alejandro Garnacho it was another worrying performance from Antony. Both looked callow. Both looked lost.
“I think we could have scored with five or six turnovers and there were overloads. The forward line was not in the best form today and could have made better out of it… it will come,” Ten Hag argued when asked about his side’s lack of threat. It was telling that despite this Anthony Martial remained on the bench.
Antony remains Ten Hag’s most expensive signing but is doing precious little to justify that and had a face like thunder as sat on the steps behind the manager after being rightly substituted. It was only when changes were made with Christian Eriksen and Jadon Sancho coming on that United improved.
Eriksen replaced Mason Mount and while Ten Hag praised the performance of the midfielder, another of his big signings, it was surely meant to encourage him rather than accurately appraise his performance. He also has to do better.
Mason Mount made his competitive debut but was not at his best, like most of Erik ten Hag’s men Credit: Getty Images/Lindsey Parnaby
Mount was not alone. United’s midfield, in fact, with Casemiro struggled was over-run by the power and pace of Wolves and, in particular, Matheus Cunha who cut through time and again and left them in his wake.
Wolves had the most shots – 23 – at Old Trafford by an away team since 2005 but, somehow, did not score with Cunha the most wasteful as he struck the outside of the post early in the second-half. “We had some great chances but found a way somehow to not put the ball in the net,” O’Neil said ruefully.
And so United were dependent on a centre-half for the only goal from what was, actually, their only real chance. And that is simply not good enough.
The goal came against the run of play, after Wolves had again cut through, with United countering and Bruno Fernandes playing a clever scooped pass into the area. Aaron Wan-Bissaka met it and hooked it across the face of goal for Varane to head home.
The relief flooded around Old Trafford and it exposed just how poor the team had played up until that point. After the goal it became even more desperate as Wolves tried to strike back. The deficiencies, despite Ten Hag’s positivity, were all too obvious. And once again it starts with that crying need for a centre-forward. The question is – will it be Hojlund?
