Danny Murphy believes Manchester United have failed to "address the shortage of goals" in their squad, despite the signing of Joshua Zirkzee.
Bruno Fernandes and Rasmus Hojlund were the only players to hit double figures in the Premier League last season and Zirkzee was the only attacking recruit United brought in this summer, with the Red Devils forking out £36.5million to sign him from Bologna.
However, the 23-year-old does not have a prolific goalscoring record and has admitted he does not play as a conventional striker, stating last month: "I occasionally drop down to midfield. I don't do that for myself but to help the team.
"I am what I call a false striker. Not a No 9, not a No 10. I am a 9.5! That's my game. Maybe I'm a little different than others. But being different is good, right?"
READ MORE: Sky Sports fans can save £216 on their bill, here's three other reasons you'll want to pick it
READ MORE: Rio Ferdinand accuses Erik ten Hag of 'confusing' Man Utd star amid selection row
And Murphy believes the failure to sign a more prolific goalscorer than Zirkzee means they will "struggle" to finish in the top four this season. "I think they've made some decent signings in the defensive area of the pitch to help them in that respect," Murphy said on BBC Match of the Day.
"But they didn't address the shortage of goals. Last season, they scored the joint lowest amount in the top half. For Manchester United. They brought in Zirkzee, the only attacking player. He's a young lad, he's not a goalscorer per se and he's not really a centre-forward.
"That's not going to get Manchester United where they want to be in terms of competing for the title, even top four I think they're going struggle even if they make chances and have creativity in the team."
United currently sit 11th in the league, having picked up two wins, one draw and two defeats from their opening five games. And manager Erik ten Hag has been left disappointed with his side's start to the season.
"No but we [now] have a start," he said when asked if he was happy with United's performances following their 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace. "The performance was good but the score we are not happy [with], we are disappointed with the score.
"It is clear. I know one thing for sure in football that there is a long way to go and when you play in the quality we now deliver, the points will come, the goals will come."
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
