Steve Bruce has revealed why he is sticking with Miguel Almiron despite his barren run in front of goal.
Almiron grabbed his first assist in 24 matches when laying on Jetro Willems' equaliser against Manchester City and goes into December looking for his first strike in Toon colours.
Bruce has Dwight Gayle, Andy Carroll and Yoshinori Muto all knocking on his door asking for their chance from the start, but the United boss feels that sticking with Almiron will pay dividends.
Bruce said: "It's about the team for me.
"But since he has come since he's come in last January and lit the place up then, he helped in their push to stay in the division.
"I've taken over and everyday he's worked. He's a great pro and a great lad.
"He has got great ability. You just want something to drop for him because when he does he will get that little bit of confidence.
"That goes for all of the front three and we can see in their own way they are a threat."
United's 2-2 draw with Man City meant they finished the weekend in 14th place in the Premier League.
But in a competitive division they are just three points behind sixth-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Reflecting on the performance against Pep Guardiola's side, Bruce said: "I couldn't have asked for any more in the way they went about their work and their attitude.
"We were disappointing away from home at Villa which is something we are going to have to address.
"We play in a certain way, on the counter attack.
"We play five at the back and the players feel comfortable with that."
