Why a defender could come up trumps
While we haven't seen too many goals from defenders at Manchester United this season, the timing would be perfect if one of them can rise to the occasion as we approach the final five games of the 2022/23 campaign.
Diogo Dalot showed it can be done when scoring a brilliantly worked goal in the 2-0 win at Nottingham Forest last month, his first Premier League strike for the club. Yet instances when our defenders have managed to get on the scoresheet have been a little thin on the ground in Erik ten Hag's first term in charge.
At a time when we are not finding the net enough as a team (three goals in our last six games), it would be extremely useful if we could get one from an unusual source in the crucial run-in.
Obviously, those in the backline are doing their primary job pretty effectively (we've only conceded four goals in our last eight domestic fixtures), but if one of them can come up trumps now, it would be a real bonus.
In terms of other goals from the rearguard this season, Dalot headed in the opener in the Europa League home win over Sheriff Tiraspol in October.
At the start of the calendar year, Luke Shaw finished off a sublime team move during the 3-0 victory against Bournemouth, whom we face again soon in our final away match in the Premier League. The England international, who has a famous strike to his name in a European Championship final of course, has been operating at centre-back recently but tried to get on the end of a couple of crosses towards the defeat at West Ham United.
Lisandro Martinez is our other defender to hit the net this term, nodding home against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, but the World Cup winner is out for the rest of the campaign due to a foot injury.
So could the stage be set for one of our defenders to come to our aid at the other end of the pitch?
When you recall years gone by, even counting Bill Foulkes's vital European Cup semi-final goal at Real Madrid in 1968, there are numerous instances of players coming up from the back to earn a place in folklore at the business end of the season. Who can forget Steve Bruce's headers against Sheffield Wednesday that proved pivotal in the first Premier League triumph? Furthermore, Denis Irwin was the matchwinner soon afterwards, at Coventry City, with another effort of massive importance in that glorious 1992/93 run-in.
When we did the Double in 1996, David May made the breakthrough at Middlesbrough in the crucial last-day game on Teesside. Both May and Irwin had struck absolutely vital goals during the closing stages of the previous campaign too, only for United to agonisingly miss out on both the league and FA Cup.
Everybody recalls the thrilling 4-2 win at Everton in the 2006/07 title race, and probably Chris Eagles's clincher, but it was John O'Shea who started the comeback on Merseyside. Sheasy's winner across Stanley Park at Anfield that season was not in the run-in but still priceless, as were Gary Pallister's two headers against Liverpool in the 1996/97 term.
O'Shea struck the only goal in the first leg of the 2008/09 Champions League semi-final against Arsenal and, a couple of years later, centre-back Nemanja Vidic powered home the eventual winner in the pivotal 2-1 victory over Chelsea at Old Trafford, as we lifted the Premier League trophy again.
Even during our last title-winning campaign, while success was already secured, Rio Ferdinand made sure we won Sir Alex Ferguson's final home game in charge with a firm finish against Swansea City, and Alex Buttner found the net in the Scot's very last fixture, the crazy 5-5 draw at West Brom.
And, let's be honest, the Emirates FA Cup final is also on our minds ahead of next month's Wembley clash against Manchester City. Could one of our defenders end up etching their name in history on the big occasion? After all, Lee Martin did that in 1990, when converting Neil Webb's pass in the replay against Crystal Palace to earn the first silverware of Ferguson's reign.
The homegrown full-back only scored one other goal in his 109 appearances for the Reds but he is always remembered for that moment.
So timing is everything - let's see who can provide a telling contribution as we approach the season's climax!
The opinions in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Manchester United Football Club.