Manchester United have undergone a successful turnaround. Improved goalscoring is key to the reason why.
In 2024/25, Manchester United finished in 15th place, scoring only 44 goals. The club ended in negative goal difference.
2025/26 has been different. With three games remaining, United are in third place, with 63 goals scored already.
Ineos deserve huge credit for re-shaping the squad.
They decided to heavily invest in the attack, signing Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko.
It has clearly paid off, and their methods provide a club to their approach to Manchester United’s top priority in summer 2026; midfield.
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Manchester United invest in quantity as well as quality
Manchester United entered summer 2025 looking to find a replacement for Rasmus Hojlund.
But there was also acknowledgement that the infrastructure was not good enough. One striker, one player, was not enough.
Elite strikers are hard to find. Perhaps Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are the only three truly top strikers who could single-handedly change the face of the team’s attack.
And let’s face it, United were not getting anywhere near any of those players last summer.
Instead, United made the very sensible decision to ‘spread the burden’.
These three words will shape United’s approach to this summer too.
Instead of tasking one striker to turn the club’s fortunes around, Manchester United recruited three forwards instead.
This was smart, sharing the mental pressures of delivering for United, also increasing the risk/reward factor.
While United did not find an elusive striker to deliver 30 league goals in a season, United have found a trio to reach that mark.
Benjamin Sesko has struck 11 league goals, Bryan Mbeumo nine and Matheus Cunha nine. Combined they have reached 29, and will surely hit the 30 mark with a game to spare.
Add in the two goals Sesko and Mbeumo netted in cup competitions, the trio have already surpassed it, 31 in total.
Isn’t it better to spread the goals around?
Rather than being dependent on one striker to deliver, like with Cristiano Ronaldo in the 2021/22 season, United have a multitude of goalscorers.
Next season we would expect Cunha, Mbeumo and Sesko’s numbers to shoot up further, adding in the extra games. We could be looking at a combined 50 goal mark for the trio, or higher.
All three players have been successes, and have a lot more to offer.
As for chasing 30-goal forwards, history has shown it is not sustainable in any case.
Marcus Rashford was the last player to do it for United in 2022/23. He scored in single figures the following year, a dramatic fall off.
Robin van Persie was the previous player to deliver 30 goals in 2012/13. This was also a one-off.
As for finding a player to score 30 league goals in one season? This is an extreme rarity.
The last player to reach this mark was Cristiano Ronaldo in 2007/08, when his goalscoring explosion saw him reach 30, and 42 in all competitions.
Even he couldn’t quite measure up the following season.
Rather than chase a unicorn, Manchester United cleverly chose to buy multiple goalscorers who can play alongside each other. And it has clearly paid off.
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Lessons for Man Utd midfield
Manchester United must ‘spread the burden’ in midfield when it comes to finding a replacement for Casemiro this summer.
How do you replace a five-times Champions League winner, who is an elite defensive midfielder, who has turned into a goalscoring powerhouse?
Even with a huge transfer budget, finding one player who can do everything is going to be impossible, especially one who is ready-made for the Premier League.
Elliot Anderson could be the most expensive option. But he lacks so much compared to Casemiro; his experience and know-how, his goalscoring. No one player can fix the gaping hole that is expected to emerge in United’s midfield.
This is why United cannot put all the eggs in one basket. The solution in midfield will be multiple players.
You can add a young player with upside, a creator, an old head with experience, or a young prospect. As a collective.
The extra games with Champions League football next season dictate that United will need more than one player in any case, just to cope with the workload.
Ineos have shown with their approach to the attack that they will cluster the club’s resources to focus on one key area, and ‘spread the burden’ of responsibility on a group of additions.
That’s sensible. There just aren’t many Casemiros out there. Just like there aren’t many 30-goal strikers.
So instead, you build a team who can achieve the same, a roster of talent. It worked last summer, and it is the most sensible approach to adopt this time around too.
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