For Manchester United, they reached their target of fourth place. They didn’t blow away the opposition throughout the season, but somehow the Red Devils have sailed to fourth, with relatively no trouble. 

United’s strikers were interesting to say the least this season. Wayne Rooney, the captain, Robin van Persie, with a point to prove after a disappointing campaign under Moyes, Radamel Falcao, the Colombian super-star looking to rebuild his career at Old Trafford and finally, young James Wilson, trying to get as much first team action as possible.

With Rooney top scoring last season with 19 goals, there was much expectancy for at least a few of these strikers to notch double figures.

Here’s how the four strikers fared this season.

Wayne Rooney:

This was Rooney’s first full season as Manchester United captain. It was inevitable Rooney would be captain too, after the departures of Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra and Giggs last season, leaving Rooney to be longest serving regular player at the club. 

Rooney started well, scoring in the club’s opening game against Swansea, however they fell to a 2-1 defeat, which was the worst possible start to Louis van Gaal’s regime.

The biggest problem to Rooney’s season was the lack of consistency. This was perfectly portrayed against West Ham in September, where the striker scored in the first five minutes, then got sent off for a rash tackle on Stewart Downing. 

The sending off prevented Rooney from playing for the whole month of October for United, and didn’t score for United against until the end of November against Arsenal.

Rooney’s best spell of the season came in the March-April period of the season. Despite losing to Arsenal 2-1, Rooney led his side to an impressive run of results, 3-0 against Tottenham, 2-1 against Liverpool, 3-1 against Aston Villa and perhaps the biggest result, 4-2 against Manchester City.

The run which ended after a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea cemented United’s place in the top four, however Rooney will be disappointed to have only scored 14 goals this season.

It has to be said he played midfield in certain games, but more has to be expected of United’s more from United’s captain. He hasn’t scored since April 4, and that simply isn’t good enough.

It was a decent season for United’s skipper, but nothing more, nothing less. 

Season rating: 7/10

Robin van Persie:

Despite a disappointing campaign under David Moyes, the striker still played 30 games, and scored 18 goals. 

However this season, Van Persie was plagued with injuries since returning from the World Cup last summer, and only managed to make 29 appearances this season, scoring a weak 10 goals. 

It’s a disappointing tally for the Dutchman, especially after being given a rest by Van Gaal at the beginning of the season. He didn’t start his season until late August, where he was slowly reintroduced to the line-up.

Van Persie didn’t score his first goal until September 21, a goal in United’s infamous 5-3 defeat to Leicester. 

He did score important goals in United’s win against West Ham and their draw to Chelsea. Like Rooney, Van Persie never really found any consistency to his season, which prevented him having any sort of scoring run.

Van Persie has only played 11 games for United this calendar year, scoring only 2 goals; his last goal came in United’s victory against Burnley in February. That speaks volumes, and now the Dutchman’s future is being speculated every day, with a move to the Middle East the latest rumour. 

Van Persie’s United career seems to be deteriorating every season, and the question is, do United cash in on him while they can?

Season rating: 5/10

Radamel Falcao:

Where do we start with the Colombian with a massive reputation? It’s almost tragic how Falcao’s season just never got going at Old Trafford. 

The striker, nicknamed El Tigre, had no viciousness of such this season, instead he played like a someone who didn’t want to upset his opposition. 

His runs were predictable, his shots were tame and he failed to live up to his reputation he built at Porto, Atletico Madrid and Monaco. 

Yes, Falcao did work hard when given the chance, but that’s the least he should’ve been doing on his salary. The only positive for United fans and Falcao himself is, out of his four goals he scored this season, three of them were key in helping his side reach the top four.

His first goal came in a 2-1 win against Everton in October, his second against Villa, where he helped his side earn a 1-1 draw. His third was in January, where again he helped his side win a point against Stoke, and he also helped United avenge the 5-3 loss to Leicester at the end of January, in a 3-1 win.

Unfortunately Falcao leaves Old Trafford with a whimper, he hadn’t scored for United since January 31, and that statistic in itself should be enough evidence as to why the club decided not to sign him on a permanent deal. 

Season rating: 4/10 

James Wilson:

Wilson’s season is much more difficult to judge. He featured 17 times for the Red Devils this season, scoring two goals, but many of his appearances were from the bench.

It seems Van Gaal used the season to slowly introduce Wilson to the first team, letting him soak in experiences from the bench. He did feature in important games, which shows the trust Van Gaal has in him, such as playing him against Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.

Wilson has shown glimpses of brilliance, especially in the early parts of the season, and was debatably United’s best player in their 4-0 defeat to MK Dons in the Capital One Cup.

His burst of pace and powerful left foot should see him progress next season under Van Gaal’s guidance, and hopefully he’ll be given more starts to impress the Dutchman.

It feels unfair to give Wilson a rating compared to the other three strikers, as he wasn't given the chance to impact United’s season as his team-mates were.

Season rating: N/A

Despite United's defence seeming to be a major weakness in the side, there were signs at the end of the season of progression and stability. No such optimism can be said about the strikers, and there's no doubt Louis van Gaal will look to add a top forward to his line-up next season.

With United expected to challenge on all fronts, they need strikers scoring at least 15 goals a season, anything less and United may be a top four side for a while and nothing more.

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About the author
Danyal Khan
Danyal (pronounced Daniel), American and a sports fanatic. A proud Manchester United fan, studying journalism, trying to offer a new perspective and a range of opinions on the latest news in football.