Lack of goals a concern at Old Trafford

ALEX FERGUSON has admitted he has misgivings about Manchester United’s ability to score enough goals to win a fourth successive Premier League title. Their total of 68 last season was the lowest of Ferguson’s 11 title-winning campaigns and there are concerns within Old Trafford about Michael Owen’s confidence as well as the malfunctioning partnership between Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov.

United have scored only once in their opening two games and Ferguson’s message to his strikers is that they need to ease the burden on a defence that will be without the injured Rio Ferdinand for up to another month. “The ratio of goals last season was our poorest for 15 years in terms of goal difference,” Ferguson said. “That was an issue last term and it’s going to be an issue this season unless our strikers step up to the mark.”

By that, he was referring in particular to Owen, whose confidence looked broken when the champions lost 1-0 at Burnley on Wednesday. Ferguson remains supportive of his summer signing but the manager did not dispute that Owen had started slowly. “A lot of players over the years come to the club and take to it like a duck to water. Some need time. He will be alright.”

Berbatov’s apparent inability to forge a potent partnership with Rooney is another concern, the two strikers having created only a goal apiece for each other in almost a year of being in the same team.

“He would like to score a goal,” Ferguson said. “Strikers are like that. They always feel as if scoring is the most important thing. He had a couple of attempts [against Burnley] and he had a header cleared off the line against Birmingham. He has a languid style and maybe that’s counting against him – his style of play, rather than his actual effect on the game.”

The news that Ferdinand’s thigh injury is more serious than first thought is offset by the return of a fit-again Nemanja Vidic when United travel to Wigan Athletic today. However, it is clearly at the other end of the field that Ferguson is most concerned, despite reiterating that he would not be buying anyone before the transfer window closes.

Ferdinand’s injury is also putting him out of England’s World Cup qualifier with Croatia in September. The latest scan results will come as a major blow to club and Fabio Capello.

Capello’s England team play a friendly with Slovenia before the 2010 qualifier at home to Croatia on September 9th. “It has been established Rio will be out three to four weeks,” Ferguson confirmed.

Despite United’s shaky league start, Ferguson insisted he will not be attempting to sign any new players before the transfer window closes in 10 days.

“I have made the point, this is a good group of players,” said the Scot. “We have dominated the last two games of football although we would have liked to have scored more goals.”