Manchester United's Strikers: How have they performed?

United is blessed with one of the most talented strike force around the world. You can describe this strike force as lethal and fearless and such a strike force is the dream of every manager. A strike force which sends a shiver down the spine of all defenders across Europe, a strike force which is rightly compared to that of United in 1999, when they had the likes of Yorke, Cole, Solskjaer and Sheringham.

Till the last season, Wayne Rooney had to shoulder the burden of scoring goals as well as creating them but with the acquisition of Robin Van Persie this summer, the responsibilities have been shared; rather, at times, Van Persie has literally rescued United. He has made the team even more lethal. United have the fearless front two of Robin Van Persie and Wayne Rooney, a super sub in Javier Hernandez, and emerging and promising talents in Danny Welbeck, Angelo Henriquez and Will Keane.

United’s strike force, as expected, is firing on all cylinders with Van Persie leading the charts 16 goals. It is the strike force which has won matches for the team. With the defence leaking goals, it is the strikeforce which has outscored oppositions a number of times to rescue United and the fact that United have scored the maximum number of goals this season suggests that United’s strikeforce has been doing its job pretty well.

Van Persie has been sensational for United, creating as well as scoring goals himself. Sir Alex’s decision to go for Van Persie is compared to the move for Eric Cantona who inspired United to several victories. Van Persie, only in such a short time, has become a United hero, and has single handedly won a number of matches for the club like the ones against Southampton, CFR Cluj, Braga, Liverpool, Chelsea and made his mark over Manchester when he netted in the 93rd minute winner against City at the Etihad. Some thought that it was a gamble for Sir Alex to pay such a hefty amount for a player who is 29 years of age and a bit injury prone, but Van Persie has silenced all his critics with his astonishing start to his career at United, and the way he has been playing, it looks like he has been here for ages. In Van Persie, United fans seem to have got their new talisman. He has, in a short time, developed a telepathic understanding with Wayne Rooney which is blossoming for United. One will just hope that he continues to entertain the football lovers with his performances.

Rooney has, this season, taken a deeper role and is blossoming in that role, having made the maximum number of assists already and scoring a number of goals which includes the crucial double against City.

He has single handed dictated games while taking the deeper role,with Rooney present in the squad United’s attack seems to get a new dimension and a sense of craft and creativity .Injuries though still haven’t let him play as much as he would have liked, yet he remains the talisman and the heartbeat of United.

Chicharito this season has been sensational. Many fans thought that the arrival of Van Persie would result in limited chances for Chicharito and Welbeck, but Chicharito has silenced all his critics with vital goals at crucial times this season. He has inspired a lot of comebacks, be it against Aston Villa or against Chelsea. His movement is still impossible for the defenders to deal with. He was denied his first hat-trick for United after his goal was ruled as an own goal. He has scored a number of goals coming off the bench for United, something which has led to people comparing him to the legendary Solskjaer. He has scored 10 goals for United in all competitions this season, the second highest tally for United after van Persie.

Welbeck has performed decently, and with the coming of Van Persie he has had limited opportunities and at times has been played on the wings which is not his natural position. He has not performed as any fan would have liked him to do so, yet he continues to grow as a player. His ball retaining skills have dramatically improved. He can hold onto the ball pretty well and even his ball control is fantastic. If he continues to work hard and improves his efficiency in front of the goal, he can surely become a world class striker in the future.