The latest statistics show that Manchester United have three of the unluckiest players in terms of expected goals, heavily suggesting that Ruben Amorim’s side have plenty of room to improve throughout the 2025/26 season.
Even after Manchester United’s 2-1 win over Liverpool, there is no denying that it has been a slow start to the season for the Red Devils.
Positioned ninth in the Premier League table, winning just four of their first eight matches, United suffered an embarrassing defeat to Grimsby Town to crash out of the Carabao Cup in the second round.
Ruben Amorim will hope that back-to-back wins over Sunderland and Liverpool – his first set of consecutive wins in the league – can prove to be a turning point, after a difficult first 11 months as United head coach.
United will look to back up their performance against Liverpool on Saturday when they take on Brighton at Old Trafford.
It’s an opportunity for every player to build on recent form and to silence critics who have been heavily critical of the manager and his team.
Man Utd trio underperforming in terms of xG
It was clear in the summer transfer window that Amorim wanted to address United’s lack of goalscoring ability.
United signed five players, and three of them were attackers, including striker Benjamin Sesko, who has scored two goals since signing from RB Leipzig.
Bryan Mbeumo has three goals to his name since his transfer from Brentford, although he is surprisingly rivalled by Harry Maguire with two goals this season.
However, other United players are underperforming in the Premier League for their expected goals, and that tells us that players are still taking time to adjust to the system as well as their new teammates.
Recent stats, courtesy of FBref, suggest that there are three United players in the top 10 list for players underperforming in terms of xG.
That includes Bruno Fernandes, who is being asked to play in a deeper midfield role, with an xG rate of -1.9. The Portuguese captain is listed third in the rankings.
Fernandes is closely followed by Amad Diallo with the same xG rate. Like Fernandes, Amad is being asked to play in a different role this season – as a right wing-back. He is also in the process of building chemistry with Mbeumo on the right flank.
In seventh place, Matheus Cunha has an xG of -1.4, but the Brazil international proved his significance to the team with an incredible display against Liverpool last weekend. It’s only a matter of time before he scores his first goal for United.
Bruno Fernandes has impressive goal record vs Brighton
Brighton may have become a bogey team for United in recent years, but Fernandes boasts an impressive goal record against the Seagulls.
Fernandes has faced Brighton 12 times since signing for United, scoring five goals and registering two assists.
The 31-year-old will be looking to build on that this weekend, on top of recording his seventh win over Brighton.
