Manchester United can do no more to improve their squad now so Ruben Amorim must work with what he has got until the January transfer window
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim(Image: OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
Manchester United's transfer deadline day has been and gone and, unsurprisingly, it was a busy one at Carrington for Ruben Amorim.
For the most part, the business saw outgoings dominate the order of the day. Antony, Jadon Sancho and Rasmus Hojlund all left while Belgian goalkeeper Senne Lammens joined from Royal Antwerp.
Those hoping for a midfielder were left disappointed but the ability to keep hold of Kobbie Mainoo was a positive. In truth, very little has changed in terms of the personnel that Amorim has at his disposal compared to how it looked at home to Burnley or, in fact, against Arsenal on the opening day.
That is why United fans will be eager to see whether this group of players has what it takes to turn the corner further post-international break. Not until the tenth game does the Premier League table mean much to anyone considering three points now could push a team in the relegation zone into the battle for Europe and vice versa.
However, conclusions can be drawn from alternative Premier League tables such as the XG standings. If United fans were to take a look at the statistics compiled by Opta, they would see their side sitting top with Chelsea, Brighton and Hove Albion and Manchester City making up the top four.
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Instinctively it is easy to see this as a cause for optimism in the United camp. The stats show that the Reds should have scored 6.78 goals in their opening three Premier League games and it is clear that there is no shortage of chances being created by Amorim's side which will please the head coach.
But, delve deeper into these figures and there are worries to be found. Only Brighton (-3.21) have managed to score fewer goals than their expected tally compared to United (-2.78).
This indicates that after yet another overhaul of their attack, there are still concerns regarding its ability to penetrate the opposition's defence and turn chances into goals. Now, in fairness, Benjamin Sesko has yet to be given a full start in the forward line for United in the Premier League and it is still early days as this new look teams aims to gel.
Things do not get any easy for United after the international break though. City and Chelsea are next up for the Reds before they face Brentford and Sunderland to round out the next flurry of fixtures between breaks.
This is a wake up call for Amorim so early in the season and he cannot ignore it. United's strikers need to be more ruthless in front of goal and they simply cannot go another campaign struggling to find the back of the net.
If they do, the Portuguese manager will be on borrowed time at Old Trafford.
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