More goals is the key to winning title back

MANCHESTER UNITED believe goals are the secret to winning the Premier League title back according to assistant manager Mike Phelan.

United have already banged in seven goals in their opening three matches after adding Robin van Persie and Shinji Kagawa to their squad this summer.

The Old Trafford club lost the league title on goal difference to City on the final day of last season and manager Sir Alex Ferguson has vowed that will never happen again.

Phelan feels that the answer lies with sharpening an attack that managed 89 Premier League goals last term.

He said: “We know that we need to score plenty of goals. The old days of being able to win the league by grinding out 1-0 victories is gone.

Dumped

“Now every goal counts so we want to create more chances and score more goals. We also have to defend well as a unit.

“All those elements are very important.”

Phelan has also targeted an improved run in Europe after last season’s poor performance.

United were knocked out of the group stage of the Champions League for only the third time in their history before being dumped out of the Europa League by Athletic Bilbao.

Phelan added: “Europe’s always big at this football club. The traditions are set within the European boundaries for Manchester United and we know we have to do better.

“We let Europe slip from our grasp too easily last year. The players are conscious and aware of that, although we haven’t dwelled on it as that wouldn’t be positive.

“We’ve put it down as a blip, but we know we have to do better.”